HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

I'M FINE.

He does anything he wants in the woods.

Hey pals, this is the actual bear that was chasing me, (go back to previous post). I took this shot over my shoulder as I was running from him. About 2 seconds after I took this shot, I swanned dived over a 200 foot waterfall, and upon landing in this beautiful, pristine pool of water, was immediately invited by a family to join them at their picnic....they offered ham and cheese sandwiches, and (I couldn't believe it) Safeway's new 'Refresh' diet soda!

The previous post showed a 'bear' chasing me......That bear is not real......just a carving I have in my backyard......I used it as I could not find the real picture above........

PS. you should have heard the splash when this bear hit the water after me. To say we all started running is an understatement. We were pretty much done with the picnic. Just a little potato salad left.

Do bears poop in the woods? Do they like blue tents?

I got a hankerin' for camping. Don't know where that came from. Probably had a weird dream. Weird. Above photo shows the last time we went camping....Chris took this picture of a bear chasing me down the trail. Very scary. I read somewhere that bears are afraid of blue tents. Anyone have one out there we can borrow? Must go camping.

Shortcuts....Always Easy

Well, here we go again. About 60 degrees out here. High overcast. Not raining. Moles are having their last meal in our backyard. Poor little rascals. And don't worry....I'm not using dynamite this time. It is a product from your local gardening store. Put it simply.......don't want it on your cereal.

Things to ponder, wonder, question.......

* Put your shopping cart back, only if you have to go a short distance. Someone else will put it back if it is a long way.....

* Be polite. Only when others are watching.

* Practice what you preach. Only when important.

* Treat most groups of people with respect; all others with indifference.

* Talk more. Listen less.

* Do not pick up litter. Just step over it.

* It's OK to be rude, when others are rude to you. Really, it's OK.

* Behave any way you want. It doesn't matter what others might see.

* Set your standards low. Much easier.

* Someone else can be a role model to the neighbors kids. They don't need you.

* Use email, or texting for thank-yous. Less hassle than a written thank-you note.

* Eat the last bowl of ice cream. Do not share it with anyone.

Or......

Smell the roses.

Listen to birds.

Appreciate all kinds of weather.

Put others first.

Treasure the simple things.

Get rid of selfishness.

See something good in everyone.

Get rid of critical.

Find compassion.

Do the right thing.

Live life.

Be Happy.

And, it is still 60, overcast, not raining. Sorry moles. Life is good.

See ya pals. Tomg.

Very busy, not crabby

Today, August 14th, I must get ready for my trip to the barber, doctor, dentist, financial planner, neighbor, 7-11, ice cream shop, church, museum, park, and then when I'm all done with that, I will meet a friend for coffee at 9AM at the local Starbucks. And I'm buyin' me a cinnamon roll with the money my wife gave me. I love my wife.

Then after that, I go home. At that time, I start to be funny. At around 6PM I'm takin' a nap, and after that, I'm going to bed.

Good day all you pals.

I'm doing fine.......

Right now not a cloud in the sky....about 70....and all my pals out there need to Google "Dungeness Spit". If you peoples out there do that, you may come to your own conclusion as to the meaning, and significance, of these 2 pictures. Or, what some of you call PIX. Me, I like pix.

Hopped in my Chrysler that's as big as a whale......

And, as you all know, from past posts / blogs / entries, that it did happen. Wow...it was cool. Scary, but cool. I will try it again, but probably not for a little while. Put it this way.....I have lots less hair now. Oh well. Swell. Whats that smell? Advice for today: LOL....and...Brush teeth. I love that "LOL".....had no clue as to what that meant for the longest time.....felt like an eternity before someone told me what it meant.......WOW! I love that LOL, and I love my wife Henrietta.....I mean Chris.

My little white, 1986 Honda runs like a sewing machine. My sister gave me the car. GAVE IT TO ME!!!!! I could hardly stay under control when she handed me the keys. I was so happy. It just makes me so happy. Very grateful......Hey--Grateful, Grateful Dead. Now that was music.

Any of you pals Google 'Dungeness Spit' yet? You should. It may not be there much longer.

Needless to say, I wish I was there right now. Not 10 minutes ago, not tomorrow. Right now.

Got a new stove ordered today from one of our local retail appliance stores....nice people. Didn't give wifey and me the heavy handed sales pitch. I cannot wait to boil water on one of the TWO nine inch cook zones. Hope I don't burn my hand, or something like that.. They just said to be careful when I use our new stove. Believe me, before I even think of using the new stove, I am reading the instruction manual at least twice. Maybe three times. Maybe more...who knows? "Chris, do you know where the Jenn Air manuals are...I need to read them". Oh, I forgot, we don't have the stove yet. "Never mind". I hope she didn't hear me.

Jenn Air slide-in electric with built in downdraft. Fancy, beautiful, sleek, handsome, I love Jenn Air stuff. Your lips move but I cannot hear what you are saying.

Looking at stars now. Sun went down finally. It just seemed that today the sun would not go down. Really pretty weird. I checked the tide tables.....they're working, which means the moon is working. Watch the sun tomorrow...see if you agree that it's just sorta hangin' out up there.

I sent an email to the local TV stations about this.

Not working tonight......just postin'. Fun I tell you. I had every intention of weeding our gardens today, but I could not find my weed killer spray. I think someone I know hid it from me.

Anyway, I'll do weeding tomorrow.......too dark right now to weed.

Enjoy out there. Let me know how you're all doing. I'm fine.

Old pal Tom. Really.

PS. Google Dungeness Spit! Don't just sit there!

Figure this one out.....

L O L

(enough said)

Post, or else.....

That is essentially what my wifey told me. I guess she figured I had nothing better to do. Little did she know I was streaming 'Judge Judy' on the innerweb. I love Judge Judy....

Today in the Northwest, clear blue skies.....going to be in 80's. "Honey, where is my Speedo?"

I'm mowing the front yard today....did the back yard yesterday. Like a state park our backyard.

Very proud of it, and all of the flowers that I haven't weed whacked by accident. Rest in piece blueberry bush.

We have about 90 lineal feet of laurel hedge in our backyard......allows me to walk around in my Speedo.....hedge is about 10 feet tall. I have to buy a new hedge clipper at Home Depot about every 3 years.....I wear 'em out that fast with that hedge.....made the Home Depot guy real nervous when I wanted an even lower price than the sale price....sorta fun picking on those young sales people.....I give them my crabby /poker face when asking for a better price.

I told my daughter that I'm going to coach my grandson in football someday. She said 'NO'.

I'll give her a little time. I asked "then what about Lulu". She said 'fine, Lulu can coach Levi in football anytime'. Boy, was I relieved.

Had a nice dinner/barbecue at my sisters house yesterday. No fights, thank goodness. HUGE, I mean HUGE burgers. More than foot long hot dogs. Salads, chips, wine, beer, pop, water, cheeses, olives, Best Food mayonnaise. Desert: Chocolate cake from Costco, apple pie, rhubarb pie, ice cream from somewhere, and that favorite summer picnic item that everyone loves.....foot long hot dogs. It was splendid. And.....lakefront.....lots of swimmers. I'm a swimmer from way back.

Speaking of Costco......got me some new 275 reading glasses.....what we all call in this household...cheater glasses. Costco sells these glasses in a 3 pack for just a little over $19.00.

Great value. These new glasses are industrial strength....heavy frame....the whole works. I have to use a crescent wrench to fix 'em. That's how heavy duty they are. I am however down to 2 as I lost a pair already. 'Honey, Lucy ate another pair of my reading glasses!' I always blame Lucy...our little 3 pound rat dog.....Yorkie. Her poops are so small, that I just vacuum them up. Yuck. Yes, I vacuum our lawn clippings. Those hoovers are good!

Time for lunch. To start, mint chocolate chip ice cream. Then go to peanut butter and banana sandwich....diet ditto all throughout.....start the coffee (couldn't find any half-full mugs from the last couple of days) Wifey must have gone through the house collecting all the mugs she leaves out.......love that girl. So....oh well. For desert....bowl of popcorn with a cup of grated cheddar cheese, 1/4 pound of Darigold butter.......salt...another diet ditto. Then, clean the windows.

See you later pals of the world........Make the day a great day. Make a difference.

Random Thoughts & Confusion

Hey pals of the world and all other life out there in the Universe. Good Day! As you can see from the above pictures, I just had a hard time deciding which beverage to drink. Here is my decision. I decided to drink 5 cups of coffee today, and 7 cans of Diet Ditto. Around here near Seattle, we call it Pretend 7-up. It is so delicious. I spend $1.99 a half case at Safeway for Diet Ditto if I buy 15 half cases at a time. I think it's $2.09 for a half case one at a time. I take advantage and buy the 15 cases. Last count, I have a ton of Diet Ditto in the garage. Stacked all the way to the ceiling. That's the good news....bad news....I lost my gardening tools in the garage.....not really.....just my bike.

Gonna get my right knee replaced September 7th 2010. Partial knee replacement. Doctor B. said the outside of my knee looks like an 18 year old knee....inside looks like really old guy that walks bole legged, hardly smiles, burps alot, eats way too much sugar, knows everything, drives way too fast, never listens, afraid of everything, cries alot, worries about gray hair, and is just plain weirdesh. I said Doc....lets get that knee outa here! He said 'OK'. I swear I saw dollar signs reflecting off of his eyeballs when he said 'OK'. I'm afraid of anesthesia, so I told him I'd tough it out with no anesthesia...just do it fast. He said no way. I'm looking for a new doctor.

Talking about knee replacements, I have a new gold crown top left. Hey, it lasted 73 years before I had to act. The dentist did a swell job, being as young as he is. I tried selling him a life insurance policy while in the chair, and he reminded me that I sold flooring, not life insurance.

I told him I had a good policy to show him.....he agreed, and when I meet him I'll do the bait-and-switch....instead of insurance, I'm walking away with a laundry room floor sale.

Still having rain out here in Seattle area. Clouds are at about 970 feet today. Just enough to tease us, knowing full well the the sun is at 971 feet. Dang it!

We don't close our airports when we get rain - we keep 'em open. You guys back east close your airports when it snows. Big babies.

Chris and I had Teriaki chicken from Happy Lake Teriaki......had some left over.....so today we eat chicken salad sandwiches garnished with green olives stuffed with red pimento. The drink of choice for me will either be coffee, of Diet Ditto. Chris....water. Too healthy. She may fool me and have milk. Too healthy.

Granddaughter Lulu spent the night with Chris and me last night. It was fun getting bossed around by two women all night long. Love 'em both. Just don't ask about the dress and makeup I had to wear last night. Makeup was OK....dress was way too ugly.

Looking out the window, I estimate cloud cover now at 870 feet....sun at....you know it.. 871 feet.

Airport still open.

Going to work tonight. Drug and Alcohol treatment center. Great job. Amazing place. Wonderful staff and patients.

Oh.....gotta go. My love is calling me. I think she has chores for me to do. Oh well.

Man Flowers

I feel better now.

I hope she doesn't find me

"Tom, where are you? I know your in this house somewhere!"



Hey....Chris is looking for me. I don't know what for. But she has that certain
sound. It's either dishes, laundry, paint the house, clean the garage, pull 5 large weeds, or
15 small ones, mow the lawn, go help the neighbor, wash her car, or just a good honest effort of any chore of my choosing. I just want to daydream.......about ice cream.


"Oh, take the dogs for a walk? Sure! Can I take Arthur?"


"Yes Tom, you can take Arthur. He is one of two dogs in the house dummy!"


"Oh...that's right"


See you later pals.

Going to the park with Arthur, Lucy, and Wifey.

I'm not that nervous any more.

More Pictures, Less Thinking, More Humming

Oh, this is fun. It has been suggested to me that I'm supposed to be normal when doing these posts. No problem. Be nice. Don't let the world know you so fast. Take the rest of your life

so people out there (IS there anybody out there?) can appreciate you, and can get to know where you came from.

OK. I can handle that. It's somewhat cloudy and balmy out here in Seattle today. I will prepare my day by setting aside my umbrella. My day will start with Starbucks, then Costco, then feed the ducks, home for a nap, and probably do laundry. Then another nap. Oh crap, don't be funny.

I must say that I am not used to this serious posting stuff. Animals, flowers, countryside travels and all that kind of stuff. It is hard. But I'm going to try. And where are more men for these things? That is the problem. I'm swimming in a sea of women. Women that I like, but hardly know. I'm having a sinking spell. OK, another picture. And by the way, it has taken me about 10 minutes every time I pick a picture.....right click, left click, drag, push, pull.....it is hard! OK, picture:

Now what should I talk about? I go to work tonight....new shift.....4 ten hour days, instead of the 3 ten hour days in the past. Looking out the window, less balmy and less cloudy right now, but I'm sure we'll see some rain today. Do all of you people out there realize that here in Seattle when it rains we don't even use umbrellas, rain coats, we wear shorts and tee shirts.....our rain is your sun. If you don't belive me, come and live out here for about a month. You will become a believer.

I gotta go. Like I said.......Starbucks, Costco and all the other places. I'm heading to the bathroom to comb my hair, and apply my make-up. Sorry, I have no flower pictures. Darn.

The most fun I've ever had in my entire life

Just wanted to catch your attention with that title. Today wasn't that day. However, it may be tomorrow, or just maybe, I had that day already. Would somebody look it up and tell me!




I went to work today, to work in a classroom at a local high school. I was late by a few minutes because I fell asleep on my bed......just a little cat nap...I even set my trusty Verizon cell phone (you know, that thing you talk on, text on, look up the stock market on, look up the weather on, etc.) alarm clock feature hoping it would awake me.....no luck....slept through it.....late to the classroom. When I did arrive, I felt sluggish, weepy, miserable, sweaty, and hot....102 degrees hot. Pretty darn ill. So, I got on the phone, called the main office, and they told me to go home.


Went home and piled onto my bed in a heap of clothes that I had not folded in a couple of months. Good thing my wife didn't notice about the clothes. She is a stickler when it comes to folding clothes. She has told me several times over our 31 years of marriage, that she wants my clothes folded within a month of washing them. I have trouble with that.



What does 'weepy' mean. Used that in the first paragraph.




Hey....talking about cell phones, here in Warshington State, a new law went into affect that says no more cell phone use...talking or texting...while driving. What a dumb law. People never get in wrecks while doing those phone things at 78 miles per hour on the freeway, zipping in and out of traffic, eating doughnuts, and watching Kaptain Kangaroo. Yea, right. There are alot of sad drivers out here in Warshington because of that new law.....actual tears running down their cheeks because they can't use their cell phones. Big Babies. Thank goodness it's still OK to put my make-up on while driving.



And those that still use their phones....they'll get caught....$124 fine. Fine!!! Big Babies.



Some of my wife's students are putting their cell phones in the glove compartment of their cars...smart students. I'm going to duct tape my phone to the top of my car. I tested myself. I can actually reach over, open the glove compartment, answer any call, talk a little, and drive the dang car....it's all how you adjust the rear view mirror. Ricochet the mirror off the back window and remember that the image you see is a 'negative' of what you actually see.......My wife is never driving with me again. I still love the girl though.




Our Seattle Mariners keep losing. Good ownership. Good management. Good fans. Good stadium. Horrible hitters. We'll see how they end up come September. And for those of you that think the Mariners still play in the Kingdome.....wrong, wrong wrong. Our stadium is called Safeco field. Google it. If you look carefully, the picture used has me standing on the very top of it....I could not believe they used that picture. You'll need (what my dad use to call) a spyglass, which is really called a magnifying glass. My dad died.



Now.....lets talk weather. Very wet out here. Don't believe those that say it rains quite abit out here in Seattle. They lie. Those liers. It rains all the time out here. We had one day of sun last year. October 7th. Set a record on sun screen sales at our local Wal Marts.



But Costco is where it all happens. It is, hands down, my favorite place to shop. Where else can you buy bermuda shorts, gallon size of pineapple pieces (Love you Kimmy), bump into other shoppers grocery carts and not have them mad at you? Costco is a happy place. Like my son-in-law, I whistle when I shop at Costco.



Now, to say goodbye for now.......Why did God create not one species of penguins, but seventeen different species of Penguins!!! Seventeen! Food for thought. Thank you Lord for this amazing day!

MISSING TOOLS, AND ONE SANDWICH

I have evidently misplaced the following items at my house.....any donations, or helpful hints, on how to keep track of these, would be appreciated.

1. My roll of duct tape. I have a gutter that needs some work.
2. Ballpeen hammer. I fix lots of stuff with this handy tool. With me always.
3. Gorilla Glue. I just discovered this. It will fix anything.
4. And, I put down my jam sandwich (out of peanut butter...on the Costco list)
I think my neighbor got it.

Cooking For Me

I'm hungry. I think I'm going to make a peanut butter and
pickle sandwich. Don't tell my wife. With a Safeway Diet Ditto
soft drink. Wonderful. For desert....peanut butter and jelly
sandwich. Wash that down with another Diet Ditto! Ditto?

My Lovely Snoring Wife

You may think that this is Groucho and his girlfriend. Well, it is Groucho, but it is my wife that he is with! She was all over the place at this party......not a drop of wine either. Plain coke.
I cut her off early. I made her sleep in the family room that night. Not because I was mad at her......it was the obnoxious snoring. She drinks nothing but root beer now......no snoring! Love that girl.

Lulu's Special Call

Twinkle, twinkle little star
how I wonder who you are
up above the world so high
like a diamond in the sky.



Twinkle, twinkle little star,
how I wonder who you are.

I love you Papa! Call me!


The above was left on my cell phone
after I came off of my graveyard job.

Being a grandparent is unbelievable!

Thank you Lulu. I love you!!!!

Papa

So, I knew an old lady who swallowed a horse. She died, of course.

It has been awhile since I did this posting-blogging thing, and I actually started feeling guilty, and, responsible for all of my worldwide friends out there. IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE? What famous 60's Pink Floyd-type group made that a very popular lyric in one of their songs? Fifty bucks to the first one to answer that.....

What have I've been doing? Working. Substitute Para Educator in our local school district. I work with special needs students, and, they are special. My life has changed because of them. I work in a drug & alcohol treatment center.....I work with addicts...for alcohol dependency, meth users, heroine users, oxycontin users, men and women, young and old. This is a fabulous job....helping others. My life has changed because of them. I still have my flooring business....started that adventure in 1979.....about 4 years ago I decided to slow it down so I could pursue other adventures, so I gave up all of my commercial accounts, and I have been concentrating on just residential customers. Not to pick on commercial customers, but the atmosphere has changed due to our crazy economy, and they're not much fun to do business with any more......I get a 'thanks' from my residential customers, and not so much from the commercial peoples....Hey, they have things on their mind and I understand that. By staying away from those jobs, I have time to pursue things that I want to do. Like being a better husband. Like being a better dad. Like being a better friend. Like appreciating life alot more. And doing Gods will everyday, and every moment of my life.

Oh, am I blessed guy! You betcha Chester. Who's Chester? He is the brother of Mary Alice.

And.........My wife and I have some rental properties that I take care of. I get to climb on roofs, clean gutters, paint stuff, power warsh stuff, weed wack weeds (you're right, I don't pull' em) and if those darn weeds come back, I go to Home Depot and buy the most powerful weed and vegetation killer known to man and womankind, and I just spray the crap out of those little dandelions. I actually hear those dandelions scream when they get the spray. Not really. Just kidding. My favorite part of being a landlord is doing electrical stuff. The only thing I do when it comes to electrical is changing light bulbs. Anything beyond that I call in the big boys....you know, the electrical contractors that actually know what they are doing.

Grandparents. No, not mine. They're dead. Have been for a long time. Me and my wife. We are grandparents to the best little guys in the world. "Honey, what are their names again?" Oh yea. Lulu and Levi. Best darn family job there is on this earth. They smile no matter what, and cry at times that us adults don't understand. Oh well, I love them dearly. I can't wait to beat up my grand daughters first boyfriend. Just kidding. I just want to make him nervous all the time. I will escort them on their first 10 dates, or until my daughter calls me off....even then, I'll still follow them. I just wont tell her. Plus, I imagine that my son-in-law will be in the car with me. That will be fun. We'll have a good evening, topped off with ice cream. Wow.

I sold my little BMW to my next door neighbor for $500. Blue book said it was worth $1500.

So, my neighbor got a great car for a great price. Drivers side door was ready to fall off though. Broken hinge pin. Needed a good, creative welder. Yes, my neighbor knew....took it anyway.

He evidently found that welder.

I haven't been chased by any grizzly bears lately in my dreams. Had those scary dreams alot after I came home from Alaska in the mid 70's. I actually went Grizzly bear hunting down paths that only the bears made.....tall, tall grass out in the Aleutians Islands....I did the 'Deadliest Catch" job back then. Very hard job. Very dangerous job. Very lucrative job if you were on the right boat.....and I was. Very good skipper and very safe. My claim to fame was that I could light a match, and keep it lit, to help my deck mates smoke their cigarettes.....in 120 mile an hour gale! More like a hurricane I think. Yikes. Oh the stories I have. That will be another post...

Until we meet again..your posting pal. Tom G.

Kimmy

Dear Lulu and Levi,

27 years ago, your mother was born. Kimberly. But in my mind and heart, she became my wonderful daughter Kimmy. It is hard to imagine that my little daughter is now 27 years old. As most parents do, we think back that it was just yesterday......

While holding Kimmy for the first time in the delivery room, she arched her back so hard that I almost dropped her.

And, thinking in the delivery room how absolutely wonderful it was to have a daughter. Also thinking that I wanted Kimmy to be one year old.......Thats when the real fun begins. I couldn't wait.

Visiting Cannon Beach......As a very young little girl, Kimmy could make it down to Haystack Rock (about 1 mile) without too much trouble, but she could barley think of the return trip, and about that time, she would give me that very sad, tired , hungry look.......OK Kimmy. Hop on my back, I'll carry you.....a few rest stops along the way of course.....

Kimmy sitting in the back of our station wagon, also at Cannon Beach, with the windows down, maybe 4 to 5 years old, yelling at people as they walked past the car......yelling funny things, or gibberish.....and then, like a statue, not moving, when those yelled at, looked for this little thing with so much mischief.

And your mommy also was good at getting her older brother in trouble. Kimmy would love to antagonize uncle Todd while they both were in the back seat of our huge Buick Electra. (it would seat about 20) For along time, Grandma and I would get mad at Todd when Kimmy would start crying that her brother had "touched her"...or..."hit her" in the back seat.....one day I decided
to turn the rear view mirror so that I could watch the back seat......we found that as Kimmy would be looking out the window, she would all of a sudden yell out "Todd hit me!" Kimmy was a little trouble maker.

Lulu and Levi.....ask your mom about the copper sheet we used with her....it's a pretty funny story.

I could go on and on......Your mommy, Lulu and Levi, is the best. She learned from the best, and has total love in her heart for you both. Your grandma and Papa are so proud of her. She is the best daughter, person, wife, and friend to all of us. People admire her, because she is a loving, and, wonderful mom, daughter, sister, friend, and wife!

Kimmy. I love you.

Daddy

OK, did you all recognize the music in the last post?

Yes everyone, it was Mitch Miller and his orchestra.

That Mitch Miller knows him music!

Now, who is this artist?

Be prepared for a new post soon.

In the meantime, please listen

to this beautiful music.

Tom G.

Chair Man, and other oddities

Hello my fellow friends. This is Tom, your fellow friend, blogger, poster, and dancer. Remember, I used to do the gator, so yes, I have on my resume "dancer". Shut up Chris. Although I made it through the entire week without getting screamed at, I have been given the crabby look. Before I go on, scream is a funny word....in my opinion, which I rarely give to anyone on anything, (unless of course I am right and my opinion is needed) the word, "scream" should never be used. Unless it is used in the grocery store and you must find the I Scream. I love I Scream. Vanilla. All other flavors I can do without. Tillamooks Chocolate-Peanut Butter...horrible. Safeway brand Butter Pecan.....don't waste your money. Any brand of Chocolate Chip Mint......I'd rather watch paint dry, which, by the way I did a few weeks back when sweetness and I painted our bathroom. I did all the painting, and the whole time my wife said that if I did a good job, and finish that day, that I could have one scoop of vanilla ice cream.

I love that lady. I did ask for 2 scoops. She said I could have a second scoop when I paint our house this summer.

w

Now, getting back to the original thought in the first paragraph.......I got the crabby look because

my 3 girlfriends were basically telling me that I was ignoring my blogger obligations to my pals. So, what the heck, I told 'em I'd go for it. I told them I'd do one next week, and they said fine. I'm fooling them. I'm doing it now! WOW. Brown Cow. I love poetry, especially when it rhymes. And.....here is a picture of my 3 girlfriends. Love them all. If you look carefully, you'll see that one of them has 6 toes. Weird. I'm just kidding. I'm the one with 6 toes.

Hi there. I just had a lesson on how to move words, and pictures, when blogging, posting, or whatever this is that I'm doing. Oh rats, my wife says I have to start cooking now, so I have to go. She's scary. Maybe I'll come back this evening when I'm done folding the clothes. You laugh....this is serious business......in addition to dancing, I'm a folder. Good with socks and towels. By the way, I have two types of socks, and, only 2 colors. About 20 pairs of white for casual dining, and, about 2 pair of black for when I go jogging.

So a fond farewell from my chair, who I taught to smile....... and me. (the smiling chair is way at the top of this post in case you missed it). You are all good people out there..... decide to make a difference tomorrow. Take care. Eat I Scream. Tom

PS It took me 5 years to teach my chair to smile.

Goodbye February, Hello March

So my daughter, Kimmy says "Daddy, do a blog, and make it profound"......or something like that. So, here goes.

2010 and we are down 2 months. Our winter here is nothing like back East......warm, sunny, and a little rain. Just right. The rain doesn't hurt us....we are waterproof. At least my smart wifey says we are waterproof, and I believe everything she says. I love that woman. (Sometimes afraid of her. See below).

I didn't meet any crabby people today. Hey, it's Sunday....there's never crabby people out there on Sundays. Monday through Saturday may be a little different however. We all meet someone who is crabby on those six days. You know how to fix that. Just smile at them....ask them if they need anything. Watch out though....you being nice may make them crabbier. Oh well. Go on being nice. Maybe that crabby person will be nice once you leave their space....I'm sure that is the case. (hey, that rhymes. Cool) Crabby to happy...all in a very short time. Keep smiling.....your crabby face will have a tough time developing. If you really need to be crabby...it's OK, just put a sack on your head.

I wonder what my mom and dad are doing today. My mom died almost 30 years ago. Dad about 5 years ago. Talk about crabby people....Jeez. Good parents in their own way.

My brother and I had to take my mother (after she died of course) down 2 flights of stairs in her townhouse on a gurney that the coroner provided. Mom was a little hefty at the time, and as we turned the corner on the mid landing, her body shifted and we almost dropped her. My brother and I started laughing, then crying. You ask, "hey Bob and Tom, why didn't the 2 coroners take your mom down themselves". The answer: those 2 boys were little pip sweaks, and they had trembling fear anticipating that task. So, brother Bob and I did the job. Whew!

My 40th high school reunion is being planned, for this coming fall. 40 years! Dang! I gotta practice up on the gator. That was a great dance, and man, I am a dancer! Just ask my wife.

"Hey Chris, is husband Tom a DANCER? No. "Got asked to leave the dance floor when trying to learn how to do country line dance years ago". The only dancing I do today is when Lulu wants to dance, and she thinks I'm the best dancer.....

Speaking of Lulu, I was asked by my granddaughter to play house today. It was great. She's not even 3 yet and is already bossing me around. I used to be afraid of just my wife. Then we had a daughter Kimmy. I'm afraid of her too. And now Lulu. 3 women in my life that I'm deathly afraid of. Of course I wouldn't trade any of them.

I get to make a difference tomorrow working with high school students with special needs. Talk about fun, and rewarding.....that is what life is about. High school students, great students.

It's Sunday night and I'm already excited for lunch tommorow. Haven't even made it yet. What's that about? I dunno. (I don't know) or (I do not know).

It has been fun Chris doing the hall bath. I did pretty good didn't I? Love you.

Is there anybody out there?

I have been stripping wallpaper.

I have been using a steamer.

I have been mixing paint.

I have been applying wall patch.

I have been sanding down wall patch.

I have been vacuuming wall patch dust.

I have walked the dog Arthur.

I have not walked the dog Fido.

I have applied the primer coat.

I have applied the finished coat.

I have been excused, with a hug, from this job.

Amen.

Pass me a diet Ditto.

Tom G.

MORE STUFF..... TO...... DRINK

A dream I had, and my wife woke me up thank goodness......

So there we were, out in the car, and nowhere to go. I told my brother, Bob, that this was a dumb idea. He was not listening to me. Of course, he was only 9 months old, and I was 3. It was a bad day. Bob wouldn't share his baby food with me, so I didn't share my graham crackers with him. I was so mad at him, I felt like throwing him out of the car at 50 miles per hour, but that was out of the question as we were in the driveway......we didn't know how to start the car. Even if we could start the car, it wasn't going to happen. My mom had the keys.

My mom was pretty nice most of the time. She was born and raised in the hinterlands of southern Brazil. Many of the neighbor kids thought my mom was quite exotic. Whatever that meant. Anyway, as I got older, I actually taught my mom to speak English......it was our native tongue. And was she bad at the beginning. She was not a good listener. She did not enunciate, she was lousy at the ABC's, and most of the time just wanted to watch TV. TV was just coming into existence at this time, and it was quite normal to have 550 to 500 people in our living room, morning, noon, and night 6 days a week. It was just unbelievable. Everyone had their noses plastered to the TV. Look down and you couldn't even see your feet. You could only see down to about every ones shoulder blades. It didn't smell very fresh in our house because of this. We needed Fabreze, but Fabreze was yet to be on the market......did not exist.

Time to go now. Buy Diet Ditto at Safeway. It is as good as 7-up, and a half case (12 cans) cost $1.99, when you buy 3. Compare that price to a single 32 OZ. drink.......$1.69! Great value that Ditto, and when ice cold, it goes with any meal. Take care!

I love Coffee

Waking up at 4 AM and having coffee with my wife.....every day.

Answering the phone and hearing 'HI PAPA' .

And then talking to my beautiful granddaughter.

Listening to the birds, the rain, the wind.

Sitting silently on the back patio.

For those people that I come across today, and every day,

can I make a difference for them in some small way?

Looking forward to mowing my lawn this Spring.

Looking forward to barbeque's with family.

Taking Arthur for a walk.

Knowing someday that Arthur will take me for a walk.

and......lots of other joys......

Like drinking coffee. With sweetener, and creamer.

In big mugs, and little mugs. Most of the time hot.

At other times not so hot. It really doesn't matter. I'll drink it

and never complain. It gives me joy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yes.....Coffee. It has really changed my life. Three years ago I never drank coffee. I didn't care for it...didn't like it...didn't think of it. My choice was from the liquor store, and that drink also changed my life. A little over 3 years ago I came home to a living room full of friends, business associates, brother, sister, son and daughter, son-in-law, and daughter-in-law, and my loving wife. They were all there for a reason. To save my life. And they did. I think about 20 people. An intervention.

I reflect back to December 9th, 2006 almost every day. It was that day that these people told me that they loved me, cared for me, and wanted to help me. And before that day on December 9th, I never, ever thought I needed help for anything. Was I ever wrong. I told myself that I could stop drinking anytime I chose to. Like most alcoholics, I did not realize that at this point in my drinking, there was no possible way I could stop drinking on my own, for even a day, or a week, or, forever. It is not possible. I needed help, but was not willing to get help on my own. Remember, I was a strong guy. I did not need help.

Then a true miracle happened to me. It was this. I sat at my desk on a Wednesday morning and prayed a simple prayer...'God, I need help'. I will never forget that prayer. That is all I said. And thinking back now, it is probably the only time I asked for help from anyone, let alone God. But it was an easy way out. No one could talk back to me. But God did answer my prayer. For it was 3 days later that all of those people gathered in my living room for me. And to think that my intervention was planned, by all of these people, well before I sat down, on that Wednesday morning, and asked for Gods help. It was a miracle. And, on that Wednesday morning, my desire to drink left me. I have not had a drink since.

So.....what does this have to do with coffee? It is this. All of the joys that I now have can be done with others, anywhere, anytime over a cup of coffee. And even if it is the worst cup of coffee, I will never complain. The worst cup of coffee gives me a reason to laugh. 3 years ago I had no laughter. God introduced me to really bad coffee, and gave me my laughter back. Thank you Lord.

Now my wife laughs at me with my coffee. I leave cups everywhere. Half full. Full of cream and sugar. Always a cup in the microwave that I warmed up, and then forgot about. I'll find a cup at my desk. How old is that coffee? Ah, who cares. Add some more and warm it up. My perpetual cup of coffee. Sorta fun. And, it fits me perfectly. No worries. Just happy.

Stay tuned. Oh, and by the way. I am now a full time employee at the treatment center that I was once in. Helping others.....it is the best job I have ever had.

More stuff from the new Blogger

Hi Crew. Tom here. I've got my eye on you. Just started this blog and I'm already hearing from people across the world. That's just wonderful. Someday maybe we can all meet at my house. Excuse me for a moment...my wife is yelling something to me......"yes honey, I finished the dishes"....I'm lying, I actually stuffed all the dirty dishes back into the kitchen cabinets. I'll get to them tomorrow. Yes, there is always tomorrow. Just thinking...I ain't using spell check this time, so I really have to concentrate on spelling things correctly. It is a challenge for me, not to use spell check, and, doing the dishes the way my wifey wants. 31 years of marriage (thank you Lord)....I think it's 31 years anyway. "hey honey, how long have we been married?" 8 Years! Holy crap....I think I've been in a time warp. "Honey, our kids are 28 and 26" Not our kids? Where have I been. OK, enough of this.

Now to get serious. My wife told me that my son is going to start a new job within his company......my son is a Biologist, and is halfway through his Masters in Biology from the University of Nebraska......doing it through the Internet. Sort of peculiar as he and his wife live in downtown Nebraska. Anyway, his new assignment is to watch for wildlife and marine life off of a boat, that may be affected by a new pier being built with lots of noisy pilings being pounded into the earth....6 month assignment starting in June. My wish for my son is that he sings "I'M POPEYE THE SAILOR MAN" to the boats captain every day. That's the kind of stuff our world needs. I think so. I'm very proud of my son. He is a very smart guy, and he is married to a very smart lady, who just received her masters also in Environmental Science. Hey pal, what is mitochondria? Text it to me.

My sons name is either Bill, John, Allen, Todd. He lives with his wife in the city of Nebraska, Oakland, Tacoma, Missoula. Good luck.

OK, what else. Talking of family, I am so proud of all of them. Even the ones I've never met. Those guys are probably good people. But, my wife, my beautiful daughter, her husband, and my 2 grandchildren, plus my son and daughter in law.....I could not be more proud, and I am very blessed. Someday I'll let you all know real names, give pictures, towns, and generally more personal information. I will do that when my wife lets me. I'm afraid of my wife. She's scary. Well, off to do some dusting. I love dusting. I love life. Thank you Lord.

Well....here I go with my first (what Bloggers call 'Posts') Post cereal. My beautiful daughter helped me set up this thing, so really this is my second post. That animal hanging over my shoulder in my first post is my dog. His name is FIDO. FIDO is about 8 years old.
The picture of me in my first post is not really me, but it is a picture that my wife liked, so I used it. I love my wife. My day today has been busy.....packed my van with a bunch of stuff out of a warehouse we own. My wife says she owns 90% of the warehouse...I own 10%. 31 years of
love and affection. Now....I have to get some paperwork done for my business....meet a couple of customers later on, then come home, cook dinner, do the dishes, dust the furniture, clean the bathrooms, and all kinds of other man things. I haven't come across any crabby people today, but the day is young...I love meeting crabby people. I try to make their day better by doing some foolish thing.....like smiling at them, saying hello to them.....it does work. Stay tuned.
Over and out, and we will see you again.

First Post!!!!!!

Welcome crew. This will be fun. Stay tuned.