This and That Wednesday:

Well, it is that time of the week where I share a bit of what is happening here in Mayberry. 

First, I would like to introduce the three new followers to Oregon Gifts:  Kathy B. from over at Spot on Cedar Pond, Pamela from A Sheltering Tree , and Aledia from Plum Perfect.  Welcome, and thank you so much for following me.  I appreciate your stamp of approval!

We have had a lot of rain and a lot of snow this week.  It is not very cold right now, and this is what our front yard looks like at the time of this post:

Our friends Virginia and Brody live in Aumsville, which is not far from Salem, Oregon (about a 3 1/2 hour drive from where we live).  There was a tornado in Aumsville yesterday.  Maybe you saw it on the news.  Our friends received damage to their property, and that is so very upsetting.  It was a miracle that nobody in Aumsville was hurt.  Here is a photo of the tornado from the news:

Click here to see a short You Tube video 

that some folks took as they drove down the road.

On a different note, I had a great visit with my Dad on the phone last night.  He told me that he and my step-mom were in Las Vegas, and stopped by the place where they film the t.v. show "Pawn Stars".  Cary and I enjoy watching that show.  If you haven't seen it yet, here is a link to it:  The History Channel's Pawn Stars Show.

Anyway, they had Jill's father's Westpoint uniform from 1911, and wanted to know the value of it. (It turns out that there are a lot of these on the internet, and that they are not currently selling.  They left with the uniform, which turned out to have sentimental value only.)

Dad said it was a very interesting experience. When they got there, there were 400 people lined up to get inside to visit the shop.  Taxi's were bringing more folks every 5 minutes or so to add to the line.  The security guard told Dad and Jill that since they were bringing something in to be pawned or sold, that they could go right into the store without waiting. 

The owners, Rick and The Old Man were not there; nor were any of the other peeps on the show, Dad reported.  Since the show has become so popular, they only work on certain weekdays during the actual time of filming.  After Jill went back to the car, Dad stayed inside and looked around a bit.  He said that the store is smaller than it looks on t.v.   They have Pawn Star souvenirs for sell, like Chumway sweatshirts.

When he went back to their car, a black limo pulled up.  Dad waited to see if somebody would come out, but they didn't, they left instead, leaving him to wonder who was inside.  I think that my Dad would be a great blogger, if he knew how to use the computer.

I have been thinking about all of the new friends and acquaintances that I have been making in Blogland.  I am meeting so many new folks at once, that I still get a bit mixed up.  I keep adding more blogs to my blog lists when I find somebody that I think I may have something in common with, or if I just enjoy their attitude.  


I have become to care about many of you, and am sad for your recent losses.  Marty just lost her very special mother-in-law, and Becky just lost her beloved Tiger.  On the lighter side, SJ wished my SIL a Merry Christmas in a Happy New Year in Filipino, and they have never even met, online or otherwise.  I saw my exact same hutch at Kathy B.'s house.  Earlier this week, Lisa was very encouraging to me when I was feeling low, and I appreciated it so much.  Blog friends are real friends, it just takes some time and effort to build the relationships, like in any friendship.  It helps me to know that there are so many readers out there, and that are so many like me.  

Also, there are many new readers on here from throughout the world, and here is a copy of today's map of all my visitors since March:

Otherwise, I have just been making Christmas presents and plugging along, trying to get everything accomplished that I need to.  Our next little "event" is our company Christmas party, which we are having on Saturday afternoon.  It is going to be very casual this year, but it will probably be more fun.  I know it will be more fun for me.  We are going to have Papa Murphy's stuffed pizzas,  some green salad and some bread sticks.  Those are my very favorite pizzas!

Just a few other random thoughts of mine, without going into any details as to why they are on here:

• Don't throw good money after bad, or put your trust in the wrong people.  That sounds easy, but it isn't always.  My heart is very sad for a friend that has worked so hard, and who now is losing so much.

• Buy your food as close to the source as possible.  I buy my hamburger fresh ground at the store, and not out of a tube that comes from some other state.  I also buy eggs that are from my state, though I should probably be buying them from the chickens that my friend Gina has.

• If you are on several different medications, make sure that your pharmacist reviews everything to make sure the different meds do not counter act each other and cause super harmful side effects.

• Sometimes if somebody begins to act really odd, it can be that their heart is not working well and that they are not getting enough oxygen.  I have known three older guys in the past few years who started acting very spacey/weird/whatever, and it has been due to COPD types of problems; not drugs or alcohol. 

• Cat Scratch fever can be a serious health threat, and can go on for years without being properly diagnosed.  Antibiotics can cure it, but it has been under the radar for many physicians.

Okay, that is it, I will stop.  I know that am sounding cryptic and weird, but I have come across a lot of odd things during the past few weeks.  I am just putting it out there in case one person reading this needs to be prompted regarding any of the above list.

I hope that everybody has a wonderful day, and that you get everything done that is on your own list!


God bless,


Kathy