The ABC's of Me

Gayle at The White House (the White House in Alaska, not Barack and Michelle's house) had a fun little meme on her blog today. Apparently it is making the rounds of the Blogging World. So I thought I would give it a go.

A - Age: 71
B - Bed size: Double
C - Chore you hate: Doing the laundry when I'm in Florida. I have to use the laundramat.
D - Dog's name: I don't have one now but we used to have a black poodle, Buffy.
E - Essential start your day item: Brushing my teeth.
F - Favorite color: Red
G - Gold or Silver: Both I guess. I like both equally.
H - Height: 5'7"--or at least I used to be. Possibly a tad shorter now.
I - Instruments you play: I used to play piano and clarinet.
J - Job title: Retiree, Wildlife Rehabber Volunteer (I used to be a Special Ed Teacher)
K - Kid(s): 2. A boy, Dave, and a girl, Karen.
L - Living arrangements: A trailer in Florida and a soon to be sold (hopefully) 106 year old home in NW Ohio.
M - Mom's name: Opal
N - Nicknames: Nan
O - Overnight hospital stay: When I had my kids and when I had surgery.
P - Pet Peeve: Waiting in line.
Q - Quote from a movie: Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn.
R - Right or left handed: right.
S - Siblings: One brother
T - Time you wake up: about 9:00 or 9:30. Now that I'm retired, I'm a night owl.
U - Underwear: Yes.
V - Vegetable you dislike: Brussel Sprouts
W - Ways/Reasons you run late: I'm not usually late. I'm usually early.
X - X-rays you've had: Chest(many, thanks to 2 bouts of cancer) and foot
Y - Yummy food you make: Chili (at least I like it!)
Z - Zoo animals you like: Koalas, monkeys, chimps, apes etc.

Tag I'm It!! Twice.

Ok, so Gayle at The White House (the one in Fairbanks) tagged me several weeks ago with the Friends Award. Isn't it purty??
Well, actually it is and I'm sorry, Gayle, that it has taken me so long to respond. The following words came along with the Friends Award.

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these kind writers."
When you pass the award along please include these guidelines. I am to choose eight friends to share this with."

Ok, so what I'm going to do is name a few blogs that display friendship. And I'm going to break the rules--I'm not naming 8. My bloggy friend circle is rather small and I think many of the blogs I read have been named already by Gayle. But I still would like to bestow the Friends Award on them and if they wish to write about it--fantastic. If they wish to accept the award in silence--also fantastic.

The definition of self-aggrandizement is thus--"an act undertaken to increase your own power and influence or to draw attention to your own importance". I have got to say that most of the blogs I read totally lack self-aggrandizement. Here are a few of my favorite bloggers who totally lack self-aggrandizement. (Don't ya just love that word?)
#1.
ChrisC and JonJ at Our Vanilla Life. I discovered this blog through Tink. Chris and Jon live in Tampa and love the beach as much as I do. Lately they have been sharing pictures of some of the beaches around them. Gorgeous shots. ChrisC does amazing projects with shells and has a blog about that aspect of her life also.

#2. Kathleen at Southern Artistic Touch. I'm not sure how I discovered Kathleen. I actually think she discovered me first. Kathleen is a grandma, like me. Her blog is what I would describe as eclectic. She blogs about a little bit of everything--cooking, grandson, family, weather, food (oh my you should look at the pictures of her cooking!), etc. I really enjoy reading her blog and would love to sample some of her cooking. Did I mention she cooks!!!

#3. Mary the Teach at Work of the Poet I found this blog because she started the Ruby Tuesday meme. Again, she has lots of great posts but I love checking into her blog because she is forever changing the picture on her header and each and every one is different and beautiful. Go check her out and join in on the Ruby Tuesday meme. It's lots of fun.

Ok, I could name Tink and Tootie too but Gayle already got them. So, I won't do it again--but do go check out their blogs. I love them!! And I could name Gail at Shedding the Wolf but I won't. I should as pay back for tagging me in the next Tag I'm It that I got!! But go check her out too. I love it when she goes on a baking bender and posts pictures of the goodies she has baked.

Ok, so here is Tag #2--thanks to Gail mentioned above. The "rules" of this Tag are as follows: "I must take a self portrait of me, of course, and post it on my blog. Not just any old portrait, but a right here, right now, as I am portrait. No leaving the room to make myself beautimous, no primping or changing clothes. Nothing. Just right here, right now." Since I got this last night, I took the picture right away. The camera was sitting right beside me so I was still sitting at the computer when I took it. I HATE having my picture taken and to have to take one of myself is even worse!! But here you have it--in my full glory. And I'm not going to pass on this tag because I already tagged a bunch of people in this post and I don't want everyone and their brother to hate me. OK?

So are you ready for this???

25 Things

My daughter posted this meme on her blog, Shamalamamama. She had been tagged with it on Facebook. I wasn’t tagged but I thought it looked like fun. And I promise, I won’t tag anyone either but if my readers are so inclined, have at it. What you are supposed to do is list 25 interesting facts about yourself. Kind of a retrospective of your life--at my age anyway. So here goes and I’m sorry in advance if this is looonnnggg.

#1. I was born in a tiny town of about 400 people in a tiny hospital in Omer, Michigan which had once been a home. It was on one of the coldest, windiest days of the year. My mother said they had to stick cotton around the cracks in the windows to keep the cold wind out. Funny but the same thing happened the day my son was born. It wasn’t cold but it was so windy,the wind actually whistled around the windows. They tried opening the window but it about blew me out of bed!

#2. Although I learned to swim as I child, I wasn’t the best in the world! When my kids were toddlers, I entered them in swim classes at the YMCA. As a result, they became “water rats” and I took classes too. Eventually I ended up teaching swimming and was the Interim Aquatics Director at the Y for a few months.

#3. I LOVE to travel. I never traveled as a child. Even though I grew up in Michigan, I actually visited Mexico before I was in Canada or even the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. (My dad and I went to visit his brother and sister in law in Texas and we went to Mexico). After I was married and the kids came along, we took big trips every summer. Nova Scotia, Colorado, Texas, Florida etc. Then after Mr. Snowbird retired, we got a motor home. I was a teacher and the day after I got out of school each summer we would take off for 6 or 7 weeks. I have been in 49 of the 50 states. I’ve also been to Scotland twice and am going to Ireland this summer.

#4. My dad worked in the oilfields. He started when he was about 10 years old driving a wagon in the West Virginia. He met my mom when he was working on an oilwell in Allendale, Illinois. They followed the oilfields to Texas (where they lived in a tent), to Kentucky and Michigan (where I was born).

#5. My mom was killed in a car accident by a drunk driver when I was 15. My dad was seriously injured and even though I was asleep in the back seat, I came through with only a sore neck and arm.

#6. We discovered Sanibel Island in 1984. Mr. Snowbird, my daughter and I were down here on spring break. We were camping in a campground on John Morris Rd. in Ft. Myers. The lady camped next to us had the most gorgeous shells on her picnic table. I remember huge whelks!! She told us about Sanibel and we came over on a couple of day trips. Little did I dream that I would eventually live in this paradise.

#7. I wanted to be a teacher from the time I was in grade school. It was only when I read about Helen Keller that I wanted to teach the hearing impaired. I attended Eastern Michigan University and got my degree in “Deaf and Hard of Hearing” as well as Elementary Education. My first teaching job was in Trenton, Michigan where, with a blank check, I set up the first classroom for the deaf in that school system.

#8. My minor in college was Theatre. I would never have dreamed that this would be my minor but friends of mine were in the college theatre and I tagged along. I became the Wardrobe mistress for several years and a member of Alpha Psi Omega, a drama fraternity. In later life, theatre became a huge part of my life. I was a member of the Fort Findlay Playhouse for over 30 years. I acted, directed, produced, stage managed, did makeup, lights, set, props etc but never again did costumes. I was a member of the Ohio Community Theatre Association Board of Directors for 9 years and was a secretary for 6 of those years. I like to say that my kids were born in a trunk on the stage of the Playhouse. They did grow up there and Karen went on to make theatre a career at South Coast Repertory Theatre for several years.

#9. My biggest hobby is genealogy. I have been doing genealogy since 1967 when my aunt got me interested. I have traced both my father’s and my mother’s lines many, many generations- -one back to Charlemagne. I also love doing genealogy for other people so if anybody is interested, let me know. I’m serious!

#10. When I began teaching Hearing Impaired, it was by the “Oral Method”. In other words, we taught the kids to read lips and use their voices. I knew no sign language at all! Suddenly I was transferred to a school where I had to use sign language. My first signing class was actually from a deaf woman. And the rest I learned by teaching with a sign language book on my lap! I became fairly proficient at signing but have a horrible time “reading” someone else’s sign.

#11. As most of you know, I volunteer at a Wildlife Hospital which I will not mention here due to a Confidentiality Policy :-(. I have always loved animals and had many pets as a child including dogs, cats, pigs, chickens, calves, etc. I attended a program at this particular wildlife hospital several years ago and decided right then and there that I wanted to be a volunteer. And here I am, 8 years later, going on rescues of all kinds of birds and animals, transporting sick and injured wildlife, working in the clinic, acting as a docent at the education center etc. And I LOVE it! Even though I can’t talk about it!!!

#12. I only have a blog because my daughter had one and I thought it looked like fun. It is!!

#13. I am a General Hospital addict. I have watched it since my kids were tiny. I’m also a LOST addict and follow several LOST blogs. In fact, that’s how I found one of the blogs I follow - -Farmer’s Files. Both she and her hubs have been extras on the show.

#14. Forty years ago, I sat my two kids down in front of the TV to watch the first episode of this new kid’s show called Sesame Street.

#15. I am a sport’s nut. I played basketball in high school. I was a forward and got 24 points in one game. I’m 5’7” and was one of the shortest on my team! I love hockey and football and baseball. My favorite teams are the Cleveland Indians and the Cleveland Browns thanks to my son who converted me from the Detroit Tigers and the Detroit Lions. Favorite hockey teams are the Detroit Red Wings and the Bowling Green Stage University Falcons.

#16. My son was the mascot his senior year at Bowling Green State University.

#17. My students used to make write weekly letters to each of the BGSU hockey players and would make a poster to hang outside the locker room. I became friends with many of the players and their parents and knew players who went on to the NHL such as Rob Blake, Nelson Emerson, Brian Holsinger and Dan Bylsma.

#18. I am a list maker. I don’t think I could make it without lists!

#19. I love to take photos and thank my lucky stars for digital cameras. I love taking what I call “artsy fartsy” pictures. I couldn’t do this so much when I had to pay for film and developing the film. Now I can take all the pictures I want and delete the ones that aren’t so great. I must admit, though, all of my pictures are natural-none are photo shopped. My daughter is the photoshop expert.

#20. Mr. Snowbird and I had our first date on December 7th. (the 20th anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day). We knew each other from being members of a couple of single’s groups but had never dated. Our roommates were dating so we went out with them. We were engaged a month later and married 3 ½ months later.

#21. One of the single’s groups which Mr. Snowbird and I were members of was called the Coffee Breakers. It was a group founded by the Wyandotte, Michigan YMCA. Through that group, about 15 or more couples met and married. (And only one couple got divorced). Almost 48 years later, many of these same couples still get together once a month for dinner. We attend when we can.

#22. My daughter got married on the anniversary of her godparents. Unfortunately, her godparents were unable to attend the wedding since Marilyn had to have knee replacement surgery. Marilyn was my roommate when I first began teaching and we were friends for over 45 years until her death a year ago. She was my maid of honor and I was her matron of honor and I miss her a lot. Her hubby is still one of our best friends and will be visiting us next month.

#23. I am a collector- -or was! Up north I have a Hummel collection, a ruby glass collection, and a bell collection. In the past I have collected Neil Diamond records and memorabilia (yup, I was a “Neil Baby” fan!!), Avon bottles, Fenton Glass etc. Down here, I don’t have room for all that stuff so have collected a few pictures that I like- -mostly Ikki Matsumoto prints and my friend Carol Rothman's wildlife photos. And I always have lots of pictures of my kids and grandkids.

#24. I met my closest friend and confidant just a few years ago. I’ve had lots of friends in my life but never one who was so much like me. I walked into the wildlife hospital one day and she was answering phones. It was an immediate connection. It is like we knew each other from the minute we met. We have soooo much in common, it is scary. We both feel like we knew each other in a previous life. Ok, I’ll admit it, I believe in reincarnation.

#25. I feel a close bond with each of my grandkids. Even though I wasn’t in the same room, I heard my eldest’s (Sam) first cry and was the first one after his mom and dad to hold him. (There is nothing quite so special as your child handing you their child). I was also his first babysitter. We saw Erin when she was an hour long and went to pick up her big brother from daycare to take him to meet her. Again, I was one of the first to hold her. She is so much like me, freckles, sports nut, etc. I was in the room when my daughter’s first born, Noah, was born. She was the one who handed him to me. His other grandma and I bonded that day too. And when the twins were born, I was the only person other than parents and medical staff allowed in the room. I wasn’t able to hold them right away but observing the birth of your twin grandsons is amazing!

OK, that is 25. I could keep going and going!! Hey, I’ve got 71 years of memories. Sorry if I bored you but this was so much fun. Thanks, Karen, for the idea. Maybe I’ll do another 25 again in the future.

I Was Tagged--A Looonnnggg Time Ago

Ok, so I was tagged way back when and what with all the posts and pictures of San Diego, I kind of put it on the back burner. Kathleen over at Southern Artistic Touch tagged me while I was in SD. What you are supposed to do is go to your 5th Photo folder and then pick the 5th picture. Ok, so I have lots and lots of folders--some listed by the year they were taken, some by pictures for my blog, some by pictures from my kids, etc, etc, etc. So I went to my 2009 folder. Ok, I know it's only January but I had lots of folders already. Then I went to the 5th folder which just happened to be President Obama's inauguration. I had taken a bunch of pictures of my TV screen. (First time I ever took pictures of an inauguration!!). Anyway, this is my 5th picture.

Congratulations Mr. President.

Tagged Again--Thanks Chris!!

OK, so I've been tagged again, thanks to Chris at Our Vanilla Life which came by way of Gayle at The White House. Uh, nope, not that White House. The one in Fairbanks where is seems to be -35 degrees on any given day! So, apparently I'm supposed to list 5 of my addictions then pass this on to 5 other unsuspecting souls. Unfortunately Chris took 2 of those unsuspecting souls (Tootie and Tink) right out from under me so I won't burden them with coming up with 10 addictions instead of 5. Which means--I need to find somebody else. I guess I'll think about that while I'm trying to come up with 5 addictions. I mean, come on folks, I am not the addictive type. (Yeah, right!). But, I'll give it a go.

#1--Critters. Yup, I'm addicted to Critters be it wild ones or domestic ones. I have been an animal person since I can remember. I grew up on a farm with pigs, cows, dogs, cats and rats and elephants. Ok, so no elephants, I just got carried away because I love the Unicorn song. I've always had pets--well up until the past couple of years. That is why I love living here on Sanibel. Critters galore. Wildlife. Raccoons, Opossums, Armadillos, birds galore. And this is why I work at the Wildlife Hospital cleaning poopy cages and this is why I will get into a dumpster with a raccoon just to try to save it's life.

#2--The Computer. My son will tell you that I spend waaayyyy too much time in front of the computer. But I love working on line. I love blogging and reading blogs. I love checking Facebook to keep up with my kids, my grandson, my godkids and friends. I love reading message boards. I love that through Google the most amazing Encyclopedia in the world is right at your finger tips. I love playing computer games. But most of all, I love that I can do so much of my favorite hobby, genealogy, without ever having to leave my computer.

#3--My Deck. Yup, I'm addicted to my deck. You can probably tell by the number of pictures I have posted that I have taken out there. I have to go out there several times a day just to look at the water to see what's there or just to admire my plants and flowers or just to thank my lucky stars that I have this gorgeous deck to spend time on. Whenever Mr. Snowbird and I leave for the day or even for a couple of minutes, we always stop when we get back and take a look at the water or the trees to see what's there. When we go north for the summer, I really really miss my deck. I wish I could take it with me but it would be a bit cumbersome to get in the backend of my Escape.

#4--Our GPS. Our daughter and son in law got us hooked on a GPS. They had one and it looked like a neat little toy. So we got one. We use it all the time--even when we know where we are going. It's just so comforting to hear "Right turn in point 5 miles" and so much fun when we take a different route than the one suggested to hear "Recalculating. Make a legal U turn when possible." We keep waiting for it to blow up some time when we keep taking different routes than suggested. But, it sure has been a godsend when we have gone out on wildlife rescues and didn't know where we were going.

#5--Organization. Even though it may not look it sometimes, I am organized and go a little crazy in the midst of chaos. I am a list maker. In fact, I have already started a list of stuff to take on my visit to my daughter's next week. I don't like change a whole lot. I need to know what is going to happen and when. I know I tend to drive my son a bit nuts with this--sorry Dave. But, it appears that my daughter inherited my organization genes. This is probably the reason she became a Stage Manager--and why the three tiny men in her life make her a bit crazed at times.

Anyway, those are my 5 addictions. OK, now I'm supposed to come up with 5 people to pass this on to. Well, I'll try. Here goes.

My daughter, Karen, at Shama-lama-Mama. I know she'll probably hate me for this but so be it. It won't be the first time I've made her do something she didn't want to do. LOL.

Next would be my long time blogging, message board, and finally got to meet buddy, Gail at Shedding the Wolf. Come on Gail. I know you can do this.

I'm going to pass this on to Deb at Mom of 3 Girls. I started following her blog when I won one of her giveaways on a Bloggy Giveaway. In fact my gifty was my header which her hubby designed. I have so enjoyed reading about her three girls and have watched them grow the past year.

And I'm going to tag Mare at Making Memories. I would love to spend as much time at Disney World as they do. I love reading about their trips there. I would guess her #1 addiction would be WDW!!

OK, since I can't tag Chris and Jon or Gayle or Tink or Tootie, I only am tagging 4 people. So, I'm breaking the rules. Whatcha gonna do about it, huh??? So, now you know some of my addictions. I gave up smoking years and years ago but I have to admit that I am a bit addicted to the red adult beverage and if it weren't so early in the day would probably be sipping on a bit of it right now. But hey, it's 5:00 somewhere, right?? Maybe I'll grab a glass, leave my computer for a little while, go out on my deck, look for critters, and make a list of ways I can drive my GPS crazy next time we use it.

I've Been Tagged

Tink over at My Mobile Adventures, who doesn't blog on Thursdays but wrote it on Tuesday to post today (got that?) was catching up on a lot of memes from people who had tagged her. And, as you are supposed to do with a meme, she tagged some of us who read her blog--like Gayle and Tootie and Chris. Actually she tagged me with one of the easier memes. Six Things That Make Me Happy. I think I can do that. Let's see-----

Six Things That Make Me Happy
1. Looking at pictures of my grandkids. Since I don't get to see the kids all that often, pictures have to do. How can you not be happy when looking at pictures like the one of Ethan above?
2. Being able to live in Paradise. We have been fortunate enough to call Sanibel our part time home for about 10 years now. We became residents a couple of years ago so I guess it is our full time home with summers spent in Ohio.
3. Being able to work in the wildlife clinic. It doesn't matter if it is cleaning poopy cages, making diets, washing the floor, doing laundry, or holding a patient while they get their meds. I love it.
4. Meeting friends face to face who I have only corresponded with through blogs or emails. This is the way the Crawlers was "born". I have met Tootie, Gary, and Tink. I also got to meet Gail this week. We met on a message board. I'm looking forward to meeting more friends face to face also.
5. Walking to beach looking for shells. Mr. Snowbird isn't into shells at all so I go by myself. I really enjoy just being by myself, looking for the next great find, listening to to waves, and looking at the birds and dolphins.
6. Doing lunch with friends. Besides the crawlers I often go to lunch with my friend, Diana, or other friends. In fact I have to wrap this up as I'm heading to Amy's Over Easy--oops, I guess it is just the Over Easy now--to meet my friend Carol for lunch. That is if this massive rain storm we are having ever lets up enough for me to get to the car!

Anyway, that's my Six Things That Make Me Happy. And guess what--I'm not going to tag anyone but if any of you are so inclined and can't think of anything to blog about, you might try this one. It was kinda fun.

I Have-----

Gayle over at The White House (the one in Alaska, not the one that Barack, Michelle and the girls will be moving into soon) had this on her blog and I thought it looked like fun. So I'm giving it a go. Not much else to write about today and I couldn't think of a question for Aloha Friday so here goes.

If you want to try it, just copy and paste in your own blog, and bold all of the things you have done. Happy discoveries.

1. Started my own blog-actually I have two of them
2. Slept under the stars-a group of us went camping one time and the two cars got separated. Our car had the food and theirs had the tents. So yup, we slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band-High school marching band
4. Visited Hawaii-We went to Oahu on our 25th wedding anniversary. I would LOVE to go back again.
5. Watched a meteor shower-Several but the one that sticks out was laying out on the beach at 3:00 in the morning. Amazing.
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world-Been to both several times
8. Climbed a mountain-I've been climbing in the Smokies and the Rockies. Not that I climbed very high, mind you
9. Held a praying mantis-It was pretty neat, acutally.
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris-
13. Watched lightening at sea-I remember watching lightning from a hotel room in Daytona and the lightning was actually going sideways.
14. Taught myself an art from scratch-I taught myself how to make Gods Eyes.
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning-not a fun experience
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty - in my much younger days!!
18. Grown my own vegetables-I lived on a farm growing up so yup, grew a lot of them.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France-
20. Slept on an overnight train - my dad and I went to Texas on a train. We didn't have beds though. We slept sitting up.
21. Had a pillow fight- Hey, even people my age had PJ parties when we were growing up!!
22. Hitchhiked-
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill- I'm embarrassed to say I did although I called it a mental health day.
24. Built a snow fort- I lived on a farm and so I built lots of them.
25. Held a lamb- I've never held a baby lamb but lots of baby calves and baby pigs--and lots of baby wildlife animals.
26. Gone skinny dipping-
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse- I've seen a total eclipse of both the sun and moon.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset- Living on a barrier island, this is a must. And a common occurance.
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise - Mr. Snowbird and I went on a cruise to the Caribbean. I would love to take another.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person Several times.
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors - I have been in the area in West Virginia, southern Ohio, and Massachusetts but never exactly where they were born.
35. Seen an Amish community - Both in Pennsylvania and Indiana
36. Taught myself a new language- I pretty much taught myself sign language on the job. Taught with the book in my lap.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied- Even though there are lots of things I would like right now, I'm pretty satisfied with what I have.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David - Does the copy at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas count??
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt - Many times and it never gets old.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight- What can I say? I live on a barrier island.
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted-
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris-
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling- I actually went scuba diving in a quarry once. Pretty awesome.
52. Kissed in the rain-
53. Played in the mud - What kid hasn't?
54. Gone to a drive-in theater- I grew up in the 50's and drive ins were the in thing.
55. Been in a movie -
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies - I've never sold them but I sure have bought my share!!
62. Gone whale watching - We've been on several in Massachusetts and Maine but would love to go on an Orca whale watch.
63. Got flowers for no reason- Actually I get them for myself. When I taught, I always had fresh flowers on my desk and I still buy them once in awhile.
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma-
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter-
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial - A couple of times. This is really an impressive monument.
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square - I went to school in NYC one summer so went to Times Square numerous times.
74. Toured the Everglades - I live in SW Florida. We go to the Everglades at least once a year.
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London-
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle-
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person- Both the south and north rims.
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car - My current car was new when we got it.
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper - Both when I was in community theatre and when I taught.
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House - I toured it on my Sr. Trip in HS and also in 1976 with my kids.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating-
88. Had chickenpox - I only had 6 pox but I had them.
89. Saved someone’s life - Not a person's but lots of wildlife and I think they count!
90. Sat on a jury - A wrongful death trial that got settled out of court on the second day of the trial.
91. Met someone famous - Our Japanese daughter's father, Kenichiro Morioka was a composer and symphony conductor in Japan. He wrote the music for several Japanese movies.
92. Joined a book club -Reader's Digest Book of the Month Club
93. Lost a loved one- both of my parents. My mom when I was 15 and my dad when I was 29.
94. Had a baby-Had a couple. One of each.
95. Seen the Alamo in person - My uncle lived in Texas so we got to go to San Antonio a couple of times.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake - Not the greatest experience in the world but we had to try it.It smelled pretty bad!!
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone- Don’t use it often but it sure is handy when you need it.
99. Been stung by a bee - And a wasp. I'm allergic to wasp stings so I steer clear of both
100. Ridden an elephant.

Google Silliness

Yesterday on Tink's blog--ya know,the one who tagged me--she had another meme that really looked fun. I'm not into the whole meme thing,usually, but this one drew my attention. And since there isn't a whole lot going on around here today (except for Concrete Guy pouring our new backporch and steps), I thought I would try this Google Silliness out on you.

All you have to do is Google your first name with the word "needs" after it, and post the first 10 results. Of course, you can add comments to each of your "needs" which makes it all the funnier--at least I think it does. So here goes.

1. Nancy needs to learn what the moon is.OK, so now you know what my real name is. Did you really think I was born with the lovely name of Snowbird? Anyway, back to my needs. I think I've known what the moon is for many many years now. It's that big round think up in the sky that's made out of cheese, right?
2. Nancy needs jail time!!! OK, just what did I do that prompted this harsh action?
3. Nancy needs to stay here, take responsibility, and face the consequences of her actions. Hey, I'm all for taking responsibility for my actions--if I knew what they were. Maybe it was something I did when I had a wee bit too much of the adult beverages.
4. Nancy needs to quit dying her hair. I will have you know that I have only dyed my hair once and that was for a play in college and my hair turned green and I couldn't get it out for weeks and I learned my lesson and I never, ever did it again. So, here I am 70 years old and still have blond hair. My hairdresser is absolutely amazed everytime I go to her.
5. Nancy needs her own personal Boeing 757.Oh yeah, baby. And a pilot and crew to go with it. And add in an unlimited supply of fuel while you're at it.
6. Nancy needs some help. Well, now, I think that's pretty obvious.
7. Nancy needs to find the stairs in Mattie Jensen's apartment. If I knew Mattie Jensen, I would think I could find her stairs, don't you. Anybody out there know good old Mattie?
8. Nancy Needs Training Wheels. Hey, when you ride a three wheeled adult tricycle, you have built in training wheels. Just kidding. I haven't gotten that old and arthritic yet thank you very much.
9. Nancy needs some vino. Need I say more???
10. Nancy needs Your hand guiding her through. And can't we all? Even though I'm not a church goer anymore, I still believe that the man upstairs looks after me and takes care of me everyday.

So--that's it with Nancy needs. I think I need to give a lot of thanks here to Nancy Pelosi and Nancy Drew. Without them, this post wouldn't have been possible!

And, no, I'm not tagging anyone. Just go try it yourself. It's a lot of fun.

Four Things

Ok, so I temporarily ran out of things to write about. I've seen lists like this (memes) on other blogs when they can't think of anything to write about either. So, I'm being lazy but hey--you are still learning a little bit about me.

Four Jobs I've Had
1. Waitress
2. Aquatics Instructor
3. Hearing Impaired Teacher
4. Receptionist

Four Places I've Lived
1. Standish, Michigan
2. Trenton, Michigan
3. Findlay, Ohio
4. Sanibel, Florida

Four TV Shows I Watch
1. Monk
2. Lost
3. General Hospital
4. Dancing With the Stars

Four Places I've Vacationed
1. Canadian Rockies
2. Scotland
3. Nova Scotia
4. Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Four of My Favorite Foods
1. Turkey and Dressing
2. Pizza
3. Cranberry Relish
4. Chocolate

Four Sites I Visit Daily
1. Best of Sanibel Captiva Message Board
2. Ay Ziggy Zoomba Message Board
3. Shama Lama Mama
4. Findlay Courier

Four Things I Really Like to Do
1. Shelling
2. Genealogy
3. Attending Scottish Highland Games
4. Visiting with my kids and grandkids

Four of My Favorite Musical Artists
1. Alex Beaton
2. Simon and Garfunkel
3. Alasdair Fraser
4. Harry Belafonte

Four of My Favorite Patients at CROW
1. Pelicans
2. Baby Raccoons
3. Baby Birds
4. Woodstorks

Four Things I Used to Like But Don't Do Anymore
1. Skiing
2. Traveling in our motorhome
3. Swimming
4. Hiking in the mountains

Four Things I Really Don't Like
1. Horror movies
2. Snakes
3. Jazz
4. Confrontation

So, why don't you pick one of these and leave me a comment with four things about you.