ROAD FOOD

Something happens to men when they get behind the wheel of a real truck...It's like watching Cptn Kirk on the Star Ship Enterprise....in control, happy in command of the mission, big smile on face ... ooo - ooo - ooo! I have discovered that my husband has a secret eating ritual for truck trips (totally different than our auto trips and unknown to me before today). I am hoping this was an aberation, and not his usual and customary bill of fare.

He started the day eating from the home fridge at 7:30 am. He had left over spicy tuna sushi and a cup of coffee. Ok, so he was hungry and really wanted to try the sushi LJ brought home last night. He gets this one.

We made a potty stop and to get a cup of coffee at 10:00 am at one of his favorite stops on the way up I-5 called simply "EAT". OKeeeey. We go in, I head to the "john" while he orders our coffee and a donut. When I come out, he is chasing down the donut with a tuna sandwich. Ok again, the guy was still hungry and in need of a little more than the sushi he had for breakfast. Off we go to make our delivery.

On the return trip to Portland, we stop for lunch at another old standby, Taco Bell. There we order 6 tacos and dine in! I eat 2, he eats 4 and feels sated at last. Cool. We are almost at the end of my courtesy ride, no major mishaps and good will created. The biggest problem we have encountered today is that the truck gets about 5 miles to the gallon and we have had to stop twice for gas already. To get all the way back to Portland with enough to spare, we have to stop yet a third time to top off the tank. My husbands goes in to pay for the gas and comes out with a bag of...get this...fried chicken gizzards! At a gas station? You have got to be kidding? I now know what true happiness looks like; A guy behind the wheel of a truck, popping greasy chicken gizzards in his mouth while singing Oh Suzanna in Gubbish!

Once home, I met up with my daughter to go shop for a wedding gift. As we prepare to leave the house, my husband wants to know "what's for dinner tonight?" Are you kidding me? I almost barffed thinking of the food he had ingested this day, in two hour intervals, from 7:30 am til 3:30 in the afternoon. "What's for dinner?" Mylanta followed by Alka Seltzer.
I have fulfilled my girl scout badge for companionship while trucking material up the I-5.

YELLOW SUBMARINE

I did a mercy run today with my husband up I-5 to Chehalis on a little business delivery trip. Now I normally wouldn't be the least bit interested in this activity but since he has been unable to travel much since his surgery, it seemed a reasonable thing to accompany him on the jaunt for the day. He thought an assist would be nice since I was taking the day off from my little temp job (not that I had any intention of actually driving).

Woops! Not in our comfortable little pick-up truck, but a great eye watering ugly yellow van truck that is old as snow. Forget there are no steps or hold on handles while I tried to hike the my butt up onto the seat. Forget the seat has a spring protruding that is impossible to adjust around to one cheek or the other. Forget the poor ole things 140,000 mile and counting engine strains and whines it's way up the highway, or that "someone" left the ER Brake on and the stench coming through the vents was like tires on fire. No, the worst thing was that the major flaw in this old ride was that there are NO CUP HOLDERS! My coffee -- balanced -- in hand -- bouncing down the highway banging over the smallest highway flaws as though they were the grand canyon. The absolute coup de gras.....the radio was turned and blaring out the god awful
swill of Rush Limbaugh. Urgghhhh!

Yes, the Ma and Pa Kettles' still live and wander the roads of OR & WA. Dear God, don't let me see anyone I know, pleez. I readjusted the radio to my progressive and very liberal station 620, and settled in once I got the coffee balancing trick mastered. Then, I heard a sound filling the cab, a sound I had not heard before but somehow vaguely familiar...Could it be, is it, yes, it is! My husband singing Ole Suzanna in GUBISH! "Tomasuki mascoloki ugaliski doodie with a banjo on my knee". what the hell? Thus begins the trek with a load of some kind of wood product tucked in the van on it's way to Chehalis.

A New Citizen

My husband and I have known some workers from Mexico over the years, mostly from his work in the lumber business where a great deal of the workers in the manufacturing plant were Mexican (with green cards). Many of them work here the bigger part of the year going back to Mexico to visit families for a month at a time over Christmas and so on. Great sacrifice on their part to be sure to feed and educate their families. One fellow has saved enough to get his son through University with a degree in engineering, but has missed so much of his little girls life that he wonders if it will have been worth it. To compensate and stay bonded, he calls every Sunday and they read together.

Today, one of my husband's old employees came by to earn extra money and help us out with trimming hedges and other work Bill can't do right now due to rehabilitating his recent knee replacement. Leo was so proud because today he became a citizen of the United States. He said he did it for his children so they would always know they belong here and will also become good citizens. He wanted to give them a living example of being a part of his country and contributing as well as enjoying the benefits of being an American. So much we all take for granted. The studying after work, citizenship classes, swearing in, all to be a part of a functioning country.

He is so excited to get to vote in November. No matter who he supports, I am certain that he will have put a ton of thought into who he votes for after working so hard to gave the right to do so. Wow!

Congratulations Leo. Celebrate!

May in "P" town

I think Oregonians are born with some of the drugs given to women in labor, hidden deep into the layers of white pasty skin we morp into over the winter-spring in "Gods" country. The drug that has made it possible for women to elect to have more than one child. The drug that wipes out all real memory of the pain and contortions we go through to produce the beautiful new human specimens we fall immediately in love with.

See! It only takes one decent weekend of warmth and sunshine to wipe out most memories of the terrible spring we have had so far. Forget the rain, the cold, the wind and constant grey. "Get ye to the garden shope" and whip out the credit card for some brightly colored jewell's to place throughout the yard and garden to remind us that summer is indeed just around the corner. I almost got my sky swing hung before the cold came back. Can't wait to feel the warmth of the sun through the canvas, put my feet in the foot rest, sit with my glass of wine and let the wind gently swing me while enjoying the end of the day.

I love that we have an excuse to get the yard whipped into shape and ready for the first celebration of the year...LJ gave us that excuse. We will soon celebrate with friends and family the completion of her Masters Degree and the fact that she has a job in the wings for September. We need little excuse to celebrate her, but it's always nice to have something official that lets all the light in. Thus, the reason I published the first blog I ever did regarding her student teaching gig. Now if the weather just cooperates, doesn't suddenly hail or blow all the flowers off my deck, we are set.

I'll get better at this, but I am breaking into my blog speed a little better now and will, I hope not bore myself much less anyone else with my "stuff". The views of this old bag will be foisted on my readers from time to time, and I hope I will here some pearls from others from time to time.

Post from old August Blog

OLD BROADS AND HOT CARS
GAWD it's hot.
Now I love the heat, and generally do not complain no mater how bad it gets. But when the air goes out of the car, and the leather fry's my buns,...that's another story.
My air in the car has turned into a soap opera repair story. Bill took it to a gypo ma/pa shop where they put in more freeon and sent me on my way...but didn't help. Took it to Ford where they said it needed a $1300. part.(Not even the computer that runs everything, but a little door that flaps between heat/cold for the system). When I went to get it found that they had disconnected it instead of fixing it cause Bill said something that led them to believe that would be acceptable (something like"you've got to be kidding you screw artists!). I limped off the lot heading for yet another place Bill had found that may be able to fix the problem. By the time I got to Tualatin My car was 104 inside, I was stuck to the seat and having the vapors! I left it and for $820, I should have a car again sometime tomorrow. Old broads CANNOT be hot in their cars...period. The moral? Don't allow your husband to attempt to find a "deal" when it's "your" car and the temps in the 100's!

Pasted from old blog:2007

It's the first day of my daughters student teaching experience and I know for a fact that she is prepared to the teeth, competent beyond reason, and totally freaking out! I know this because I have witnessed similar "LJ protocol" for all sorts of milestones in her life...state competitions, off to college, rush; how about the START weekend at OSU where students re tested for placement in all subject areas. Now that was a grueling chore...testing in MATH at 9:00 PM in weather hotter than hell! I am so excited for her and so proud of the effort and knowledge she will bring to her career. Those kids are so lucky. She will hit her comfort zone and take off like a rocket. How many teachers did any of you have that you knew loved their subject and truly wanted to share it with you? That's my girl. Go Get em!