Thursday, The Day Before Friday

Had to mop my floors this morning. Out of all of the housework chores, I'd rather mop the floors than anything.
Ran my weekly/monthly scans on both computers, had lunch, watched my soap opera. Had thought about going for a hike, but it was 90 degrees and that's "snake weather", so decided to drive over to the community of Bridgeport and walk on their path around the man-made lake. Saw a lot of ducks and several turtles. It's a very peaceful place to walk. The best time to walk there is early morning. Mother Nature just seems to come alive at that time of day.
So has anyone else been watching "Harper's Island"? I'm hooked. It's on tonight. I just love mysteries and this is a good one.

Another Day Working On The Family Tree

Well at least I got a morning walk in today because the rest of the day I spent inside working on the Family Tree again.
I just finished putting everything together on my dad's side of the family. That's the Turner/Carpenter/Beatley,Mendenhall side. Now I'm starting to work on my mom's side which is the Monger/House/Harper/Weeks side.
I really should take another day away from it tomorrow and go hiking. The weather has been so nice lately that it's a shame to stay in. And I really need to get as much hiking in as possible before the HOT summer gets here because then I cannot hike at all, not when we are always in the 100's.

Swine Flu

Had heard some rumors that the Swine Flu was in our town, but then found out that they ruled it out and said the person they were checking out had a flu but it was not Swine.
Sometimes I think they scare us more than necessary when it comes to these kinds of things.

Overcast Day

Didn't get any walk in today. It was overcast all day, but that's not why I didn't go walking. I had to clean house today....THAT'S why I didn't go for my walk. I figured cleaning the house was enough exercise for the day.
After I had lunch and watched my soap opera, I worked more on my family tree information. I think I finally have my Turner side of the family finished. That's my dad's side.
While doing some research, I found out that my dad's brother, who was killed in the Korean War was given the Purple Heart and several other medals and citations. My uncle was a hospital corpsman. He was tending his wounded comrades when a sniper shot him.

Well It's Sunday Again

Went for my walk this morning. Did about 1.5 miles.
We had to go do a little shopping, so headed to Stater Brothers and then over to Sam's Club.
That's about it for today.
Pretty boring I guess.

Lazy Day

Ben had to work today. Instead of taking my morning walk on the walking/bike trail near our home, I drove over to the Southfork walking/bike trail about 6 miles away and walked there. It gets boring walking the same one every day so I like to go to different areas and see different scenery now and then.
After I got back home, I had breakfast. Then I decided to watch a couple of movies I had recorded on Lifetime Movie Network awhile back. They were showing some Nora Roberts stories, and I recorded 2 of them. Loved both of them, but then I am a Nora Roberts fan, and I love romance/mystery novels.
After lunch, I decided to go out and wash my car since the weather was nice.

Another Overcast Day

Once again we woke up to a marine layer so we are overcast here in SoCal. But this is sooooo much nicer than that awful heatwave we had at the beginning of the week. I really cannot take the heat anymore. I used to love it when I was a kid, but can't stand it as an old lady.
Went over to K-mart to buy my husband some new pants. He's worse than a woman when it comes to the brand of pants he'll wear. He'll only wear the "Visa" brand and the ONLY place that has them is K-mart. Plus his size is hard to find. Not so much the waist, but the length. He needs a 29" inseam. Most of them are 28" or 30", but now and then we are lucky enough to find his size and he actually found two pair today.

More Work On My Family Tree

Wow, I never really thought about how much time it would take to create my family tree. Now I'm wondering if I should have promised my brother and my cousins that I would do it and get copies the tree to them.

I'm trying to do both sides of our grandparents, which actually means doing four families. And once you get searching, you actually find more families beyond those four, but I'm trying to keep it down to just the four originals.

I've asked my cousins for information on their families....husbands/wives, children, grandchildren. And just that alone takes a lot of time adding to the tree because some of my cousins have really BIG families.

I must say though that I am enjoying working on the tree. It's just taking longer than I thought it would.

It was cooler here today. Got up to 79 degrees but was overcast due to a marine layer coming in off the Pacific Ocean.

HAPPY EARTH DAY

Weather

It's a lot cooler today than it has been the past few days. About 87 degrees right now instead of 102 like yesterday. The sky was really clear all morning but a little after lunchtime big thunder clouds started forming to the north and to the east. Now they are directly overhead and a breeze has come up so it seems a lot cooler.

I'm Getting Tired Of This Heat

Today we got up to 102 degrees. They keep saying it is going to start getting cooler tomorrow. Guess we will just have to wait and see.

Hotter

Well, we got up to 101 degrees here today.
This morning I cleaned our master bathroom, then went to WalMart and looked around. Came home and was planning to go for a walk but it was already in the 90's by then. So I made lunch and watched my soap.
After that, I started doing some more work on my family tree. I just keep finding more and more people and dates. Amazing.

Did I Mention That It's HOT???

So far here in SoCal today it has gotten up to 97 degrees. They are saying possibly over 100 degrees tomorrow.

Vacuum Bags

It's getting harder and harder to find vacuum bags these day.
I have a Eureka Mighty-Mite Canister Vac that we connect our Flowbee hair cutting system to so I can cut my husband's hair and my hair. I went to Target, Wal-Mart and K-Mart looking for the bags for this vacuum and no one had them. I had bought them at Target and Wal-Mart before. I guess because most vacuums now are bagless that no one wants to mess with selling bags.
Well, we decided to head to Sears because I remembered that they used to have them and HURRAY! they had them.
We were looking at the bags when a person with a very "tiny" voice came up behind us in a wheel chair to ask if we needed help. We turned around and there sat the cutest "little person" I've every seen and when I say "little person", I mean that he really was....a dwarf.
Anyway, I got my vacuum bags and then we decided to go for a drive and headed up to Lake Piru in Ventura Country.
Came home and saw that it was 94 degrees, so uncovered the air conditioner and turned it on. They say we are going to be in the 90's for about 7 days. YUCK!

Hot Weekend

They are saying that we are going to get into the 90's this weekend. Today it was 86 degrees here. I hope it is not going to start getting hot now and last though the summer. I hate summer weather!
Yesterday I forgot to make a post here. I ran my weekly scans on both computers, had lunch, watched my soap and then went for a 2 1/2 mile hike. Came home and went through the photographs I had taken on my hike and uploaded the to my Fotki.com site then made dinner, watched some TV and went to bed.

Got One Branch Done On Family Tree

Today I went for a morning walk. Was gone about 30 minutes or so. Came home and had breakfast then started working on the Family Tree. I wanted to get my father's father's branch done because I met a cousin several times removed online through an ancestry site and he wanted me to send him everything I had on my grandfather's side of the family as he has not been able to find anything on them.
We were not as close to my dad's family as we were to my mom's, so I really didn't have a lot of information at first, but once I started researching and found out what my great-grandparents names were, I was able to go back about 4 or 5 generations. All of my dad's relatives are gone now, except for some of my cousins, but I have no idea where any of them live.
I think I need to take a day away from the Family Tree tomorrow and get out for a hike. I'm hoping the weather is nice so I can do that.

TV and Computer

Did anyone watch that new show "Harper's Island" last Thursday night? I recorded it and didn't get to watch it until last night, but I really liked it. I love mysteries and this one looks like a good one.
Seems like all of a sudden there is so much I have been recording from the TV. On the Lifetime Channel, they've been showing a bunch of Nora Roberts stories, so I've recorded those and have to find time to watch them, I always record "CSI Miami" and "Cold Case". I watch "Desperate Housewives", "Bones", "CSI", "Ghost Whisperer" and "Flash Point". Plus there is my soap "The Young And The Restless".
If I'm not watching "live" TV or recorded shows, I'm on my computer here, or at my web community "Not Over The Hill" or researching my ancestors for a family tree project.
Seems like my time just goes by so fast. I always thought I'd have more time to do things after I retired.

Fun Day

Today I drove up to Lancaster, CA where my friend Judy lives. We used to work together at Lockheed for many years and we are both now retired. From her house, we drove out into the high-desert to check out the California Poppies. Weren't too many out there this year, but still a few were blooming. Then we went into the little town of Lake Hughes to have lunch at The Rock which is a "bikers" bar in a way, but still also family oriented. It's also an "old time" hotel. The food was great, the people friendly and the inside very interesting. Also took some photos by the lake. Above is a photo of me and Judy at the lake and another of The Rock.
Here is a link for The Rock:
http://www.historicrockinn.com/

Sunday Evening

Another weekend has come and gone.
Beautiful weather here in SoCal all day and HOT....we got up into the 80's today.
We headed up to Sam's Club this morning only to realize when we got there that they were closed for Easter. Oh well.....
I came home and worked on some of my family tree information. I found a great site where I was able to get some information that I had not been able to find before. I also found my grandfather's and grandmother's death certificates. They both died in Missouri and Missouri has online documents that you can print out. Most states want you to pay for these things.
Never did get a walk in today. I just was not in the mood to go out and do that. Wish I had someone to walk with. Then it's not so boring.

Happy Easter

Hope everyone has a good Easter tomorrow.
I spent most of my day working on gathering information for my family tree. I spent a few hours scanning old family photos and then organizing my information. Have had a couple of cousins send me some information and sent out some emails to some other family members to try to get some information

Started My Family Tree

Well, I sorted my information I have on my Mom's family. I have emailed a few cousins to see what they can tell me about their individual unit of the family and am awaiting their reply.
I still have to scan some photos to add. I found a site called MyHeritage.com where I can publish my family tree so my other family members can see it. MyHeritage.com is a free site, so that's great.
Today we had some strange weather here in SoCal. They kept saying it was going to rain, but I was beginning to think they were full of it. It was cloudy, but really did not look like rain clouds. About 2:30 pm I was in on the computer working on the family tree when I heard this really loud "CLAP" outside. At first I thought someone had crashed their car because I had not seen the flash of lightning. Ben had seen the flash, so he knew the thunder was coming. It must have been really close because it shook the house. Scared me half to death!

Almost Forgot

I was sitting here watching "Bones" on TV when all of a sudden I realized that I had not done a daily post.
Today I was going through some old family records and photos and decided to start doing some genealogy research, but I cannot really afford to pay for those sites like Ancestry.com so I've been trying to find free search sites online. Anyone know of any?
I already have some information dating back to my great-great-grandparents....names, dates, etc. so I'm ahead of the game. I also got some information from my brother. He used to belong to Ancestry.com so he got some information from there that I did not have.
I also want to create an online family tree to share with my other family members. I found a site called My Heritage.com where I think I'll be able to do that for no charge.
I never realized how interesting it was once you got started checking out ancestors. I can't wait to get into it more over the weekend.

Sunny...No...Cloudy...No Wait...Sunny

Well last night it finally rained some, but not very much. By the time I went to bed at 9:45 pm, the full moon was reflecting on the clouds and some stars were peeking through.
Got up this morning and the sky was clear. Didn't go for my morning walk because we had a few errands to run. Figured I'd walk later in the afternoon.
Got back from WalMart and we we just sitting down to watch our soap opera and have lunch when we heard a strange noise in the small bathroom. Went to investigate and found that the float had broken and the water pressure from it made it hit the inside of the tank lid, thus making the noise. They make everything out of plastic these days and our hard water just eats through it. Luckily we had a spare float and it's easy to change, so I had it fixed in about 5 minutes.
The sun was out so I decided to go for my walk. Got about 1/2 mile from home when it clouded up and started to pour. I called Ben and told him to pick me up at the church on the corner, where I was standing under a tree. By the time we got back home, it had stopped raining and the sun was shining again.
Go figure.

Do-nothing Day

I guess this was sort of a "do-nothing" day.
Got up and went for my morning walk and then had breakfast. We went to the bank to cash our State Tax Refund check then stopped by Radio Shack because I wanted to pick up an audio cable. I want to connect my laptop to our big 42" LCD TV for watching on-line movies, videos, etc. Already had the video cable I needed. I was surprised at how easy it was to connect them.
They kept saying all day that we are supposed to get rain tonight, but the sky was so blue and clear all day. But just now I looked out and there are huge dark clouds coming in from the west and the sun has gone behind them, so I guess maybe they are right about the rain. We sure can use it.

Country Music

Stayed up last night and watched the Country Music Awards on TV. There are so many new singers that I don't know who most of them are anymore, but they are all great!
Reba looked fantastic as usual. George Strait is getting a little older looking, but still very handsome. Carey Underwood is so cute. She was so surprised when she won "Entertainer Of The Year". Taylor Swift....what a little cutie she is, only 19 years old and such a big star.
Loved seeing Matthew McConaughey. Now he is one "hunky" young man. The "dirty old woman in me is showing" (LOL). I have liked him ever since I saw him in "The Wedding Planner" with J-Lo.
Still miss seeing a lot of the "old" country music stars though.

Our Wedding Anniversary

Today, Ben and I have been married for 29 years.
We met back in December of 1973 at the home of mutual friends. We were both 23 years old. It was a few days before Christmas. I was going to dinner with the couple who were married at the time. Since they are now divorced, I will not use their names, just "pronouns". I worked with "Her" and had known "Her" for about a year. While I as at their house, "His" friend (Ben) arrived. Ben had just bought a new car and was there to show it to "Him". They had gone to school together for many years. "He" introduced us and then Ben was on his way in his new car and I was off to dinner with "Him" and "Her".
In May of 1974, "She" came to me at work and said that "She" and "He"were going to Catalina Island that weekend and that they had promised Ben that he could go with them, but "She" said "She" wanted me to go too because "She" and I could hang out and go shopping while the guys did whatever guys do. Instead of going off in pairs (girls shopping and guys being guys), the four of us ended up exploring the island together, then headed back home for dinner at a nice restaurant. Now remember, the trip to Catalina had NOT been intended as a "date" for me and Ben.
The next weekend, I was at "He" and "She's" home again and Ben showed up. Ben asked me to go play miniature golf with him, which we did as a foursome.
After that, Ben was calling me and asking me out every weekend. According to "Her", Ben was totally smitten by the time we had left Catalina Island. I, on the other hand, was not really interested in a relationship as I was still very young, was making good money at my job and I was enjoying things as they were.
Well, the four of us continued to go out as a "group". On the third "date" out with Ben (I think we went to a movie), when he took me home, he told me he loved me and asked me to marry him! I just started to laugh. I guess I thought he was joking and like I said, at the time, I had no intentions of getting married, not then and maybe never. I told him that I liked him and enjoyed his company, but in no way was I in love and getting married.
We continued seeing each other and about once a month, he would ask me to marry him again. He was very persistent. I was starting to feel "trapped" and told "Her" that Ben was being too "clingy". "She" felt bad and said "She" had never thought when "She" asked me to go to Catalina that this would happen.
I sat down and talked to Ben about my feelings. I told him that if he kept "pushing", I would stop seeing him. He had tears in his eyes, but I stood my ground. He promised he would quit asking me to marry him, but that he still wanted to see me.
We dated for six years before I finally decided I was ready to get married. I'm surprised he hung around all that time, and now, 29 years later, we are still together.

Nice Lunch

Tomorrow is Ben's and my 29th Wedding Anniversary.
Our favorite place for lunch is Backwoods Inn which is near our home here in Canyon Country. They are a family steakhouse. Since we don't go out for dinner and they are not open for lunch on Sunday, we went there today for a nice prime rib lunch. It was delicious!

Finally

I can honestly say that we once again have a President and First Lady that I am proud of.
"Enough said".

Thursday

Got up this morning to see a marine layer outside our window. Makes it a little hazy when we have those.
Had to go over to the Home Depot and then up to WalMart Supercenter. Came back home and went for a 1.75 mile walk. By that time, most of the marine layer was gone and the sun was shining.
Ran my weekly scans and did my weekly clean-ups on both computers.
Now watching the news on TV.
Don't understand why everyone is making such a big deal about Michelle Obama putting her arm around the Queen. Michelle cares about people. She touches people without thinking because that's just her way. A lot of people are like that. I never could figure out why everyone in the world is expected to cater to Queen Elizabeth. She is just a person just like the rest of us. She's a little snooty if you ask me. SHE should be honored to meet Michelle!

Placerita Canyon

I love to go hiking and since our weather has been so nice, I have been hiking at least once a week, sometimes twice a week. I don't hike much once summer gets here because the hot weather brings out the rattlesnakes, but during the Spring, you usually don't run across any snakes.
My favorite hiking area is Placerita Canyon State Park because it is near my home and it is not a difficult area to hike. Every season brings a new look to the park. I love the Springtime because there is a creek running from any rain we may have had, the plants and grasses are very green and sometimes there are loads of wildflowers, however this year we do not have very many wilflowers.
The Canyon Trail is a 2 miles out, 2 miles back hike that winds along the creek through deep canyons, green meadows and through oak groves. There is a bubble pot of white oil that seeps out of the ground at one spot along the trail.
The purpose of Placerita Canyon State Park, in Los Angeles County, is to preserve and protect the site of the first discovery of gold in California, in 1842. Designated as a State Historic Landmark, the unit is situated in the transition zone between the San Gabrial Mountains and the Mojave Desert, and contains sandstone formations, seasonal streams and riparian oak woodlands, as well as stands of cottonwood and native sycamore trees. The unit's location provides significant linkages connecting the Angeles National Forest, the Santa Susama Mountains, the Simi Hills and the Santa Monica Mountains. The unit contains the remnants of an historic ranch. All through the warmest time of the year highs here at Placerita Canyon State Park reach the 80's. When the night sets in temperatures drop down into the 60's. The wintertime brings highs down to the 40's with temperatures at Placerita Canyon State Park dipping down into the 30's throughout winter nights. A great place to camp here at Placerita Canyon State Park is River's End Recreation Park, and you'll discover a striking lake called Upper Van Norman Lake. If you want a splendid time in the great outdoors just come on up to the San Gabriel Mountains. There's so much to do here at Placerita Canyon State Park that you need to camp here for a while, Los Angeles San Fernando Valley is a good location for that; Econo Lodge Sylmar is a brilliant place to get some rest.Placerita Canyon State Park has a large quantity of naturalloveliness; it's a spot where everyone has a nice time. These mountains rock, just check out all the exciting stuff to do in the San Gabriel Mountains. If you need a location to stay Santa Clarita Motel is a glorious choice, and enjoy a round of golf at Cascades Golf Club Department.Dry warm beds await you at Travelodge Of Santa Clarita, and why not camp at Dutch Louie Campground while you're here at Placerita Canyon State Park. During your journey to Placerita Canyon State Park you'll meet some people from Newhall for sure, and while you're here and you like golf, you can pop by Vista Valencia Golf Course. Placerita Canyon State Park has picturesque nature scenery for you to take pleasure in.It's a popular place to travel to for folks from Newhall. There are so many entertaining things to do for young and old to take pleasure in. Placerita Canyon State Park is a delightful spot for a visit when you need to spend some time in the wilderness.If you came to camp Valencia Travel Village is a great location to do that; the Dagger Flat Trail is a perfect hiking trail nearby. Placerita Canyon State Park gets very little precipitation; the month with most of the rain is February, and July is the month with the least moisture. Don't you try to stop me, cause I'm havin' a magnificent time here at Placerita Canyon State Park. After a long day outdoors Super 8 Motel - Santa Clarita/Valencia is a great location to spend a night or two; Knollwood Country Club is a golf course nearby.Yep, outdoors entertaining stuff truly is bountiful here in the San Gabriel Mountains. A great close by hotel is Country Side Inn Sylmar, and Whitney Canyon is absolutely a perfect place to visit. You'll wish for more hours in a day to enjoy all the cool things at Placerita Canyon State Park. Camping at Zuni Campground is always a great experience; a golf course close by is El Cariso Golf Course. At Placerita Canyon State Park you find plenty of outdoors recreation, so you could have plenty of fun.
Here is a picture I took while on my hike this morning.