Saturday Morning Musings

I have finished the book 8.4 that I was reading. Now that was a thriller and a chiller if there ever was one. And since it was about earthquakes and the New Marid fault it was especially intereting to me. I had not realized before just how vulnerable Little Rock could be should the Big One happen.

I have started Nella Last's Diary that Kathy recommended. Girl, you never disappoint. It is a diary written by an ordinary British housewife and Mother during WWII. Aside from the very interesting take on the time the stark honesty with which Nella Last writes just gives me chills. She not only tells it how it was, but more imporantly, how she felt and what she was thinking. I am not very far into it but it's going to be another page turner.

I was laying in bed a while ago, drinking my first cup of coffee for the day and Richard came in and sat on the bottom of my bed and we had an early morning chat. He always takes a couple of minutes with me every day for a little one-on-one time with me and I really appreciate it. He is such a good and considerate son. He is also my life preserver. Anyway I was telling him how much I had to do and we were both laughing on what a dithery old lady I have become. Here I am, in a stew about how I can possibly watch the video's I have from netflix, (I have the BBC miniseries Fall of Eagles and it is Excellent!) read the book I have going and hate to put down, work on the family tree, put my travel journal in print form for Stacia who thinks they should be a book (family members are so good for one's ego) and scan some of the hundreds of pictures I have on ancestors and put them on a disk for grandchildren. I tell you, I am finding retirement busier than when I was working.

My son Randy says he will be voting for McCain. Since he has been such a staunch Democrat this surprises me.  You know how I am always joking about being a travel writer in my next life? Well I think what I really need is two next lives so that I can also be a geneticist. (did I spell that right) I am wondering if racism is genetic? I was literally screamed at last week by my X-Sil who said such ugly, ugly things about Obama that I hung up as fast as I could (I didn't hang up on her because she has some pictures I want to scan) and immediately went to Obama's web site and donated $25 to his campaign. I decided that is the only response one can make to that sort of hateful retoric that might have any effect since arguing with someone like that is an exercise in futility. I know my X-Mother and Father in law were racists of the worse kind in my opinion. They were such nice people aside from that but they definitely had a dark side. After listening to Ann rave and rant I also got the strong impression that her Grandfather was a member of the KKK. So I am asking myself, is this some kind of mutated gene that my children have inherited. I know, and Randy knows that I know (we are a knowledgeable family to quote from The Lion in Winter) that his support for McCain is based on racism. It's like the fact that he smokes pot, again I know and he knows I know but it is just not acknowledged. I don't think Richard is racist, but now I have to wonder since he and Randy are actually conjoined twins in spite of being born two years apart. Maybe I stop need to stop thinking about this. *sigh*

So if I have any chance at all of accomplishing anything today I had better get busy.

Not Crazy After All

I saw a shrink on Wednesday and am now certified sane. I had to get a psych exam before they would implant my little gizma. I guess so they can be assured that I won't start to imagine that my doctor is an alien from outer space who implants tracking devices in his patients. As you can imagine, my family has been having great fun with this at my expense but now I can get even. I have been getting grief from Randy because I voted
for Obama. He says that I must be out of my mind. I plan to call him and let him know that since I am officially sane that I can't be the one who is crazy. He needs to think about that.

Wisconsin Trip September 2008

We left Little Rock at around noon on Sunday, September 21st. We made good time and the trip got off to a great start when stopped in Frederickstown, Missouri where we stumbled on a great steakhouse when we were actually looking for a family type restaurant. I don't think I have ever had a better steak (with the usual trimmings) and I know I have never gotten better value for the money. Our total bill was $30 and I had a 7 oz. rib eye and Richard had a 9 oz. sirloin. They were both melt in your mouth tender.

The next morning we headed to Washington, MO and then on to New Haven where my Grandfather on my Dad's side. I took a lot of church and cemetery pictures to upload into my genealogy program. While both of these churches are only a few miles outside of New Haven the Bethehem Lutheran church shown on the right was founded when the congregation split. My Grandfather Witte's Mother is buried there. No one knows where his Father is buried as he was a very fly by night person and disappeared when my Grandfather was a small child. The Ebanezer lutheran Church on the right was founded by my Grandmother's people. It has a copper roof. Nothing but the best for these very pious and hardworking bunch of farmers.

After stumbling around in the cemeteries and taking a lot of pictures we headed for Illinois via Hannibal in the afternoon. I lived in Hannibal for a couple of years when I was in my early teens but very little looked familiar to me . I must have been a deeply self absorbed 13-14 year old . I did recognize Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher "childhood homes" We did not take any pictures there as we were busy trying to find the highway that would take us over the bridge to Illinois.

Next day we, as Richard says, put the hammer down and started up through Illinois. Even though it's flat and 99% farmland it's a beautiful state. I was very surprised to see so many wind mills. Good for them! The waitress where we stopped for lunch said that the electric coops lease the land from the farmers - and you can see where crops are planted all around them. Richard said it must be like having an oil well on your land - only cleaner. I went kind of crazy with my camera having noting else to do with myself as we were zipping along. I was very happy with the pictures I got. I used the sports setting with the super fast shutter speed. I lost a little quality but still got what I felt were very good results. I waved big at Carie as we went through Rockport. I hope she saw me.

The next day we got to Kristen's house and for three days just kicked back and enjoyed her and Zack. We did some local sight seeing and Richard really enjoyed Zack. There is a marina not far from Kristen's house and Zack loves to ride his bike down there but of course he is not allowed to ride down there alone. He asked Richard if he want to go down to the lake and cruise for chicks!!! Richard is seldom at a loss for words but he lost a few beats there before he swallowed and said "Sure" When they came back I asked Zack if they saw any chicks and he said "No, but we saw some dead fish and got an ice cream." I guess this is an even better outcome for a six year old. One of the things that really surprised us was the number of bars in Wisconsin and Michigan. Drinking and socializing in bars seems to be a big part o there culture.

On our last day there we drove up through Door County which is peninsula close to Green Bay. It was beautiful. We drove up the penninsula to Sturgeon's Bay which looks like a pretty pricey resort area. Lots of beautiful yachts in the Marina and plenty of pretty scenery. On the way back we had a request from the smallest member of the party to stop at Lambeau field which actually meant a visit to the pro shop to see what the Grandparent's would spring for.

We decided that while we were all the way up here we might as well see something of the country so we left by driving North into MIchigan and then across the upper part of Wisonsin through the North Woods area. The trees were turning and that was where I regret losing some quality on my pictures because the foliage was just dazzling. We crossed over into Minnesota which was every bit as pretty. We also saw a lot of Amish farms. I had not realized there were so many Amish in Minnesota.

Then down though Iowa which was pretty much a replay of Illinois and on to Forest Green, MO where my Grandmother, her parents and grandparents are buried. I have a lot of childhood memories of Forest Green as my Grandfather had a chicken farm here and I spent a lot of time in the summers visiting him. He and my step grandmother both attended the Salem Lutheran church and she had a lot of family there. She and my Grandmother were cousins. Relationships in that area are a real challenge to try to unravel as this bunch of people emigrated from the same small hamlet in Germany and settled in Forest Green which is anther small hamlet and their families have known and lived side by side for at least 300 years that I can document. I am sure we are all not only related to each other but are related to ourselves as well. I took some more genealogy pictures.

By that time we were just wantin to go home so again, Richard "put the hammer down" and we headed or home. We made one stop at Pickles Gap, AR for fudge. I just ain't gonna pass that fudge factory without stopping.

Below is a link to all the pictures that I took on the trip:

http://picasaweb.google.com/jfinan/NewAlbum93008748AM# - pictures

Gustav

I got up early this morning because I was worried all night about New Orleans. I know that sounds silly to loose sleep over something you can do nothing about but I love New Orleans. It looks like it may have been spared a major hit from Gustav. I have very many happy memories of New Orleans. Jim and I spent our honeymoon there and my brother lived there for many years and we always went for Mardi Gras whenever we could. We would get up early, early on Fat Tuesday and drag a card table, lawn chairs of a couple of hampers of food and cold
drinks and set up on the median on St. Charles Avenue and watch
parades until well into the afternoon. Such fun!

Jim was stationed there his last tour of duty before he retired and that was where we were living when Nicky (our Brit Granddaughter) came to stay with us for 2 years instead of 9 months that was the original plan.

We lived on the West Bank not too far from the Naval Station and she and I would often ride the ferry over on Saturday mornings and wander around the French Quarter and Market. Our first stop would always be for Benoits and then before we came home we would go down to the French Market where there was/is a great Greek restaurant and get a Gyro (aka Donner Kebabs in the U.K.) for lunch.

Kathrina was heartbreaking and I was so afraid that if Gustav hit the city full bore that it might not be able to bounce back again. I am sorry for the folks in Houma and Lake Charles but can't help being happy in a little corner of my heart that it wasn't N.O. I am praying that it's luck, not to mention it's levies hold.

I know I am rambling this morning but N.O. has been much on my mind.

Jogging Backwards

I am going to therapy two days a week now at the University of Arkansas Medical Services Spinal Center. Attached to the therapy center which is situated in the basement of the building is a very large swimming pool. It's huge. It may even be bigger than Olympic size. I am free to use the pool as part of my treatment any time I want during the hours of operation. Since the UAMS complex is only 7/10 of a mile from my driveway this a deal for me because if I was asked what it was that defined me as a person two things that would be high on my list would be that I am a reader and 2 I am a swimmer.

This pool is a bee hive of activity all day long. One of the good things that Blue Cross/Blue Shield does for those persons who have their Medicare Supplemental insurance with them is to pay for seniors to use the pool facilities as part of the UMAS Wellness Program designed for seniors. As a result the pool is always full. There usually two are water aerobics classes going all day long. Low impact in the deep end and more intense classes in the shallow end. In addition, the pool has a jogging track built all along the sides that is designed so that the water will always be approximately waist high
to the average person.

The last two times I have been there have been the same two ladies who jog for about 30 minutes around the pool. The funny thing about them, and what inspired me to write this rambling post is that one of them will jog backwards so that they are always facing each other and the talk the whole time. They have it all worked out, they alternate every lap and the one facing forward always tells the backwards jogging one when they are approaching the corners of the pool. Good for them I say as they look like they are really enjoying themselves.
Personally, after a lap or two I would be so short of breath I
probably couldn't breath much less chat.

But still, I think jogging backwards is showing off! But aren't people fun to watch?